Son of Neptune
by sjrfollower
Summary: Percy wakes up in the middle of a school with no memory and two new best friends. After a monster attack he will start a journey to Castra Roma, the Roman version of Camp Half-Blood, face grueling challenges to be accepted only to be sent away on a quest.
1. Chapter 1  Waking up

**Fanfiction**

**The Son of Neptune**

**Disclaimer. The Heroes of Olympus series belongs to Rick Riordan. **

**Chapter 1 – Waking up.**

Even before Percy jumped two hundred feet into the ocean, his day had been absolutely rotten.

He had woken up in the middle of a classroom, without knowing who he was, with an African American girl shaking him awake and a middle aged teacher that looked like a woodpecker glaring at him.

The man had a disproportionately huge head, small black eyes, short hair, and a nose so long and pointed he could have hunted small birds and rodents with it. Worst of all, he looked utterly furious. "Now that you've seen fit to join us, Percy" the man grumbled furiously, "would you be so kind as to explain what would be the product of an electrolysis reaction in a sodium chloride solution?"

"Uh-… uh…" Percy stammered. He tried to remember what on earth electrolysis was supposed to be or anything that might pass for an answer and found… nothing. Surprised, and a little ashamed that he didn't know anything about chemistry, he tried to remember if he had goofed off every single lesson in this class. Nothing came to him. A solid white wall came up in his mind as he tried to remember, leaving him in a blank. There was no science class, no knowledge on any of the kids around him and certainly nothing about the woodpecker teacher glaring at him. With a flare of panic, he realized he didn't even know where he came from, or who his family and friends were.

Laughter broke out around him and the guy sitting in the seat behind coughed and said quite understandably "stu (cough)-pid (cough)". Anger flooded him and he turned to snap at the guy when his move was blocked off by the girl sitting next to him. She dropped her bag, books and pencil case to the floor with a resounding crash and then quickly stood to pick her things, completely blocking his view of the back row. As she bent to pick her stuff up, she murmured "sodium metal and chlorine gas, dummy. Mr. Milkgoat's gonna kill you".

Percy stared at her. She was the African-American girl who woke him up. She was rather pretty, with braided brown hair and huge black eyes. She was dressed simply, with jeans, a blue T-Shirt and sneakers. She picked up her stuff and sat back down, looking intently at him and nudging her head towards the teacher.

"Mr. Jackson" Mr. Milkgoat spoke again, saying his name very slowly. "You have been studying electrolysis for a month. If you do not want a week's worth of detention you will answer my question. What is the product in an electrolysis reaction in a sodium chloride solution?"

"Sodium metal and chlorine gas, sir". Percy answered promptly.

Mr. Milkgoat paused for a second, obviously surprised. His face started to get red as he got angry for losing his prey and Percy could have sworn his eyes turned red for a second, too. He looked at Percy, then at the girl and then back at Percy and smiled. There was some form of evil pleasure in his eyes as he said "Miss Bell seems to think she can cheat and feed you answers without me noticing, so I think it appropriate that both of you come to my office after class for detention. Be there at three".

"Yes, sir" they both answered in resignation. The bell rang then and noise broke out as students packed their things. Suddenly, a scruffy little kid broke into a run and headed for the door like his life depended on it. Mr. Milkgoat saw him and immediately shouted over the hustle "Mr. Price! You forgot to hand in your paper on mitosis today so I also expect to see you at three in my office!"

The kid stopped in his tracks. He turned around and slouched over to where Percy and the African-American girl were. "Hey Perce, hey Jamie" he muttered in a British accent "damn, I almost made it, and I could've avoided detention with you two. Again. I swear, if this keeps up, I'm gonna sue him for harassment".

Jamie laughed at that but just said "don't be an idiot, Liam, he just picks on us cause we make trouble for him. I mean, three ADHD kids in a single class? We must drive him nuts, what with you throwing darts at the board from the other side of the room and Perce here blowing up every single water pipe in the classroom with a single experiment".

"So what do you think he'll make us do this time, eh Perce?" Jamie interrupted "clean bathroom stalls again? That was seriously disgusting man, I don't know how you took it so easily".

Percy stared at both of them. They seemed to know him and they took him for granted as if he were a part of the group, just like the whole class and the teacher seemed to think he belonged there. But he had no idea who they were or what they were talking about and he had a feeling that made him sure, absolutely certain, that he wasn't supposed to be there.

"Um, I don't…" he started to say when "Hide!" Jamie screamed suddenly. They had walked out of the classroom and into the hallway as they spoke and just as they had reached the corner she shoved Percy and Liam around into the closest empty classroom and closed the door.

"What's going on?" Percy asked quickly. For some reason, his hand shot into his pocket and brought out… a pen. Liam saw his less than heroic motion and snickered a bit, but didn't say anything.

"Garret was coming over" Jamie answered. "I don't want to talk to him, he makes me nervous".

"Garret?" Percy asked.

"You're kidding, right? Liam asked. "You know, the obsessive kid that follows us around everywhere we go? Seems to think we're in mortal danger every time we sneeze, look sad or trip going up the stairs? The guy who's mortally afraid of Mr. Milkgoat? We've hid from him like a million times, mate. I personally think he's Jamie's stalker and the weirdest kid in school".

"What? No. I don't remember him, I can't remember being here at all, I…"

The door suddenly opened and another kid came in. He was rather short, and he walked funny, like he's legs bent too wide and his feet were too small for his shoes. He had long brown hair that fell over his eyes, a small nose and he was growing a goatee. He was wearing khaki pants, a striped shirt and, bizarrely, a wide brimmed Mexican sombrero. Something sparked in Percy's memory, a faint tug, a familiar feeling at the kids' weird appearance, but just like that, it was gone and he had to wonder if he actually knew Garret or if he just reminded him of someone, else.

"Hi, Garret" Jamie and Liam chanted.

"Jamie! Liam!" the guy answered "I've been looking all over for you! You know you shouldn't go off alone with students you don't know, it's dangerous!"

"Garret, I swear to God, you're worse than my dad" Jamie answered. "It's just Percy, not some weird stranger who's gonna kidnap us. He's been here for two months, just like us".

Garret's eyes opened wide for a second and he looked intently from Percy to the other kids. Strangely, he gave out a very noticeable sniff towards Percy, like he smelled bad. "Right", he then muttered slowly, "of course he's been here… I forgot, silly me. Sorry Percy".

This kid was lying. He knew he didn't belong there, and Percy had to get some answers. "No. I haven't been here for two months" Percy answered. "I've got no idea who any of you are. I shouldn't be here, it's wrong, I should be somewhere else". He could tell his voice was coming out kind of high pitched and distressed but he went on. "You know this, Garret, tell me, do you know who I am? Where I come from?"

"Whoa, there cowboy" Jamie cut in. "Amnesia went out of fashion ages ago, you know, ever since the Bourne Supremacy fiasco. Cut it out, it's creepy".

"No! You don't get it, this is the first I've seen you, I don't remember, I don't…

"Calm down Perce" Jamie cut in. "You've been here for two months just like Liam and me. You were kicked out of some juvie program or school and were transferred to the worst centre for "troubled" (she made air quotes) kids in San Francisco. I transferred here from L.A. and Liam was thrown out of Eton just about the same time. We've been hanging out almost from day one, and hiding from Garret since then. You've got to remember this, we hung out just yesterday afternoon, at the beach…

None of this made any sense to Percy, it didn't spark any feelings or memories. "I don't remember any of that" he answered. "Are you sure that…

With a bang, the classroom door opened again. Garret paled to the color of paper as Mr. Milkgoat walked in and loomed over him. "I've been looking for you three. You are LATE for your detention! Come on".

He stood by the door and waited for them to leave. Garret looked absolutely panicked and started fidgeting with something in his pocket looking as though he were to do something rash. But he just looked at them as they silently followed Mr. Milkgoat down the hallway and then up the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2 Fauns, chimeras and halfbloods

**Chapter 2 – Fauns, Chimeras and half-bloods.**

"Aren't we going to your office Mr. Milkgoat?" Liam asked, sounding confused.

"No Liam." Mr. Milkgoat answered. "You will be spending your detention in the basement cleaning up all the stored equipment down there, football, music, lacrosse, swimming, you know, the works".

"No one ever goes down there" Liam said. "it's deserted".

"Indeed" said Mr. Milkgoat. "It'll be just you and me".

The hairs on the back of Percy's neck and arms stood up, and once again, his hand shot to his pocket where the ballpoint pen was. He got nervous and all his instincts started to scream run. He tried to ignore his increased feeling of panic as he stepped into a huge, dark basement with two kids he didn't know and a teacher that seemed to hate him.

The basement was packed high with all kinds of rubbish thrown by generations of students and lazy caretakers. There were corridors of shelves packed with trophies and sports uniforms. On one side of the room there were old instruments, podiums and music sheets. There seemed to be no order whatsoever and dirt and dust covered every single surface. Piles of junk and books littered the far side of the room.

Mr. Milkgoat directed Percy to the corner where all the sports implements were. It stank, badly, like they hadn't been washed before they'd been stored. Liam, on the other hand, had volunteered to go to the instrument section, just saying that he loved music and would prefer that part of the room. Jamie was sent to the piles of junk and books and told to sort it all out before cleaning.

After Percy got to his corner and Mr. Milkgoat left with Liam and Jamie, his nerves doubled. There was no way to see the others from his side of the room and he doubted he would hear them through the shelves, even if any of them screamed. Mr. Milkgoat had told him to stay put and clean, but he hadn't given him any cleaning supplies and it seemed like he just wanted them in the dark and separated from one another.

Percy could hardly see. Alarm bells were ringing in his head, so he forgot about the sports equipment and walked slowly to the centre of the basement. He supposed he'd be able to go to where either one of his "friends" was quickly from that position. Trying not to make any noise he knelt at the corner of a tall shelf and looked around.

"Don't move, or I'll knock your head off" a voice whispered behind him. Percy felt something heavy placed upon his right shoulder, brushing his ear, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a round brown shape that looked like a mace or a cudgel. "Turn around. Slowly. And tell me who you are and why you're here" the voice said again.

Percy turned around cautiously. It was Garret. He had a grim look about him and was holding a large wooden cudgel in his right hand, ready to bat his head away like a baseball if he made a wrong move.

"You're a halfblood, a powerful one, too" he stated. "Are you here to pick up Liam and Jamie? Did you come from _Castra Roma? _Are you taking them back to camp?_" _he asked.

Percy's body shook at Garret's questions. Halfbloods, camp. These words meant something to him. "I-I don't know. I don't remember anything, but everybody thinks I'm a student here. You don't know me?"

"Today was the first I've seen you. The Mist may have fooled everyone, but I know better. You've never been here before. But you have a very powerful scent and you have had some training, I can tell. You even have some magical weapons with you".

Percy had no idea what he was talking about. Other than throwing his shoes, he didn't have any form of weapon. Garret looked irritated. "In your pocket and on your wrist, man. Come on". Percy pulled out his ballpoint pen, incredulously and offered it. "Uncap it" Garret ordered.

He did and watched fascinated as his pen grew out into a three foot bronze sword. It glowed faintly and illuminated his shocked face and Garret's look of confirmation in the middle of the dark basement. Garret then grabbed his hand and fidgeted with his watch. He caught some button and a bronze filament opened up vertically and then spiraled into a large bronze shield. It was a beautiful thing, with scenes of battle, showing Cyclopes, sea monsters and what appeared to be him and a girl.

"The arms of a Spartan warrior" said Garret, slightly surprised. "Long sword and large round shield. Weird, but I'll guess it'll do. I'll need you, if we're going to have a chance of saving Liam and Jamie".

"Why is it weird?" Percy asked. He felt completely comfortable holding his sword and shield. They were both perfectly balanced and they had a feeling of safety and familiarity that comforted him when everything around him was new and uncertain. "And what do they need saving from?"

"It's weird because it's an outdated form of battle. After the fall of Greece, Rome surpassed that strategy of combat with short _gladius _swords and large rectangular shields. They made better locks in a phalanx and they could be lifted to block an incoming blow whilst stabbing from beneath with the _gladius_. That strategy won the Romans the Greek isles as well as much of their empire".

"Maybe" Percy argued. "But it would also make them slower and limit their reach and –"

"Never mind!" Garret cut in. "Just keep them ready and follow me. The other's lives are in danger".

Without giving him a chance to ask another question, Garret turned and walked silently towards the far side of the room, where the music equipment was and where Liam was supposed to be. Percy was wondering what halfbloods were and what _Castra Roma _was when Garret stopped so suddenly he almost crashed into him.

Percy looked up and saw what the matter was. They were one shelf away from the instrument section and they could see through an empty part of the shelf, between a tuba and a violin. Liam was sitting down in the middle of the instrument section, cleaning being the last thing in his mind. He had grabbed an instrument, a small harp it seemed, and was plucking the strings. He didn't seem to know any tune or how to play but he was catching notes in a soft and soothing tone, which would give one pause in the midst of a hurry. Jamie was sitting next to him and listening, seeming perfectly happy. The problem was that perched on a shelf above them was… something.

The creature was incredibly large. It occupied the whole length of a 20 feet long shelf and it must have been 8 or 9 feet tall. It was a lion, mostly. It had golden fur, huge claws and the majestic, but fierce, head of the king of the jungle. However, where its tail should be, a snake, which seemed to have a life of its own, twitched about, and from the side of its body another head protruded, a goat's head. Three pairs of red eyes gazed intently at the kids below, giving the creature an eerie glow as it stood with its head grazing the basement's roof.

"A chimera" Garret muttered, scared. Percy looked at the thing and saw that it had been ready to pounce for a while now, but that it wasn't because it was listening to the music. It seemed to hold him in some form of trance.

Suddenly, Liam stopped playing and the silence that followed his music was as harsh as an iron hammer coming down on a forge. "I'm bored" he muttered. Immediately, the chimera came out of its reverie and, a split second later, pounced.

Percy reacted like lightning. As the chimera sprang towards Liam and Jamie, adrenaline and instinct kicked in. He used the shelf in front of him as a springboard, jumped onto the top shelf and threw his sword as hard as he could straight at the chimera's face. Without stopping, he jumped from the top of the shelf towards the place where Liam and Jamie were, landed and rolled to their side.

The chimera saw the flash of the bronze sword flying towards it and twisted in mid-air, turning its straight jump into a side flip. The move spoiled its pounce, making it crash into a base guitar 10 feet beyond the kids. The bronze sword flashed past and sank hilt deep into the shelf behind them.

Jamie and Liam yelled in panic and backed all the way into the shelf, whilst Percy stood in front, holding his shield for cover. The chimera recovered from its fall and growled menacingly. Percy saw its muscles tense, ready to pounce again, but before he could react, Garret charged. He ran bravely, swinging his cudgel and came up to three feet of the chimera, obviously hoping to jump onto its back.

But he had forgotten about the tail. The snake headed tail flew down towards him, its mouth open wide and its teeth shining. Garret swung his club wildly and caught the snake smack in the face. However, the tail lashed at him throwing him sideways and forcing him to circle the beast to the place where Percy, Jamie and Liam were.

"Nice try" said Percy. "Now what?"

"I don't know" said Garret.

The chimera recovered quickly from Garret's charge and eyed them cautiously, probably deciding which one to eat first. "You always need a plan" he thought, and a small bubble of confidence grew inside him. A small warmth. "Liam" he said, "play something on the harp, something soothing. Jamie, climb that shelf and get my sword, go quickly. Garret, we can hold it off."

Without a word, Jamie turned and started to climb the shelf to where his sword had landed. Liam, on the other hand said "are you kidding? You want me to play music now? That thing's gonna kill us!"

Percy didn't get a chance to answer because the chimera chose to charge right then. It ran straight between Garret and Percy, the lion head aimed towards the small kid and the goat's head bent to shoot Percy all the way across the room. Percy remembered what Garret had said about roman war strategy and ducked slightly, using his shield to block the horns and redirect them upwards. At the same time, he threw a punch from under the shield, straight at the goat's neck. His fist connected with the goat's larynx and the beast roared and choked and gasped for breath.

Garret was less lucky. He managed to block the lion's teeth with his cudgel but one of the chimera's claws swiped at him and caught his left leg. He screamed and went down, his pants completely torn. Percy ran to him and used his shield to bash the lion's head as he passed. The chimera staggered backwards and looked at him murderously. Percy pulled Garret to his feet, only were his left foot and leg should've been, there was fur and hooves.

Weird as that was, Percy had bigger concerns at the moment. "Liam play something now!" he ordered. After a second, Liam grabbed the harp he had tossed away and started to play. At first, only jarring notes followed and Percy cringed, but slowly, the notes turned to a melody and the melody into a great music. It was a beautiful tune, sad but inspirational, soothing but powerful, and it made Percy feel like he were being the told the tales of great heroes that had changed the world and been forgotten. The chimera slowed down, stopped and relaxed, although its attention didn't leave Percy and Garret. It stayed still, watching and wrestling with the song.

Jamie got to the top of the shelf and wrenched his sword out of the wood easily, even though Percy had doubted she'd have the strength for it. She threw the sword at Percy and he caught it deftly. "OK" he said. "Don't stop playing Liam. Jamie, come down quickly but quietly. We're gonna back up, real slow, now. Help me with Garret".

With Jamie's help, they helped Garret walk slowly back. He was bleeding from his furry leg, but it didn't seem serious, he could probably walk with a limp. Liam kept playing as they crept back and the chimera stayed still, watching them.

"It won't stay under for long" Garret muttered. "You guys need to go on ahead, get to safety. Percy, you'll have to lead them".

"Lead them where?" Percy asked. "I don't know where I am, much less where to go. I still need you to explain what halfbloods are, and where I come from. And I won't leave you behind".

They had reached the door that led to the stairway and the chimera had not moved. But Percy knew that the second they walked out and the music grew dimmer, the chimera would come out of the spell in a rampage. Garret reached inside his pocket, took out a plastic bag and handed it to Percy. "Take this" he said. "And only use if you are in great danger". He then got out of their support and said "take them to the Caldecott Tunnel on Highway 24. They'll be safe there, if they pass the challenges. I am a protector, I should have taken them weeks ago. I can buy you some GO!"

He shoved Percy towards the door. He crashed into Jamie and Liam and together they went through the doorway that led to the stairs. Garret then slammed the door behind them and they heard a terrible roar from the other side as the chimera woke up. Percy tried to open it but Garret had blocked it or sealed it. It didn't budge. They heard Garret yell and charge, a strong thump, a crash, and the sound of shelf falling upon shelf like dominoes, and then silence. The door suddenly gave way. They entered and saw that the room was trashed. Garret had somehow managed to make the chimera crash into the shelves, and one had fallen on top of it. It was dazed, but seemed to be recovering. Their friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn that stupid satyr" Percy cursed. "Ok, let's go, before that thing gets loose".

He returned his weapons to their normal state and broke into a run. Jamie and Liam, still carrying the harp, ran behind him. As they got to the top of the stairs they heard a roar and a huge crash as if the chimera had just broken through the wall that led to the staircase. Percy ran all the way through the first floor of the school and towards the main exit, his friends close on his heels.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Jamie yelled. She was in a panic. "We need to stop, call the police. What the hell was that thing? And what happened to Garret? Where did you get those weapons? Who are you?"

Percy tried to make them move, but they resisted. "There's no time!" he argued. "That thing'll be lose any second now. It is a chimera, a mythical creature, I don't know why it attacked us, I already told you, I don't remember anything, but it's not dead and it will follow us. We need to move. Now!"

Liam held his arm and said "Ok, let's go, but we need to tell the police, I mean about Ga-".

Boom. An explosion cut their conversation and they turned around to see a great plume of smoke and dust rise from the side of the school. A hole had been blasted in one of the walls, a clean round hole twenty feet in diameter. Out of the hole, the chimera leapt out and smelled the ground.

People went nuts. An alarm rang and people started running around, screaming. The chimera turned and faced them, its back to the road they needed to take. Percy looked around and saw that on the other to their right was open fields, they'd never get away that way. Behind them, there was about 200 feet before the ground ended in a steep cliff and beyond that, the sea. The school overlooked the sea.

"Come on!" Percy shouted and ran towards the cliff. Behind them, the chimera roared and started the chase. It would catch up in no time. "What do we do now?" Jamie asked as they ran. She looked scared but determined. "Should Liam play again?"

"I don't think that's going to work this time" Percy answered. "I think I know how to kill it. It's coming so fast I think we can use its momentum to make it fall off the cliff. Maybe. You guys stand on either side of me. It will catch up to us very close to the cliff, if we distract it enough it won't break in time.

They nodded. The chimera was running at 50 miles per hour easy, and didn't seem to realize it was heading into a cliff. They continued to run, a second, two seconds. Percy got his sword out. The chimera caught up with them about thirty feet away from the cliff. "Now!" Percy shouted. Jamie and Liam dodged right immediately, barely missing the chimera's claws. He waited a quarter of a second, jumped to the right and swung his sword at the same time, chopping the goat head off as it passed.

But, just like Garret, Percy hadn't counted on the tail. As the chimera barreled past him the snake headed tail lashed and wrapped itself around his waist, pulling him along. Jamie yelled "no!" and grabbed on to his shirt and Liam grabbed on to Jamie. They were all pulled straight ahead. The chimera saw the cliff and hit the breaks but it was too late. It tripped on a rock at fifty miles an hour and catapulted into a 500 feet fall to the ocean and the rocks.

As they fell Percy swung his sword and cut off the tail with his sword. The chimera roared and swiped at him, missing by inches. Instead it hit Liam's side and blood splattered all over. "No!" Percy yelled, struck his sword into the chimera's side and kicked away. As they continued to fall, the monster turned to dust, and it spiraled out into the sky.

"Hang on to me!" Percy yelled and they all clung to one another for dear life. "I guess that's it" he thought as he watched the ocean approaching, "we'll die". But his mind rebelled at that. They could survive this._ He had done this before._ His instincts kicked in again and when they were near the water he willed himself to live, to survive. There was a wrenching pull in his gut and the sea rose to meet him. A great wall of water shot out like a geyser towards them and it cushioned their fall like a baseball glove. They surfaced close to the beach and beyond it, Percy saw a road. He called out to Jamie but the fight and the fall had taken too much from him. He blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3  The Sword

**Chapter 3**

As Percy's mind sank into darkness, his ideas and thoughts became less clear, dissolving into nothingness. He tried to grasp anything real to him, something to hang onto in his mind but only the face of an unknown blond girl came to him. She faded, like everything does, and when she disappeared, he was transported away from the sea and from his own memories.

He appeared in another room, where the coolness of the ocean was replaced by the unbearable heat one feels when sitting too close to a roaring fire. Percy looked around and saw that he was standing on the edge of a raised platform. All around him there were rocky walls that went up at an angle, like a pyramid would if you stood at its centre, but instead of ending in a vertex, the walls ended in a circle, a crater through which he could see clear blue skies. Lava flowed freely down these walls, over the boulders and rocks that were dispersed around him and through the rocky formations that projected from the side walls. There was a river of lava that traversed the floor and made a circle around the platform where Percy now stood. He realized he was standing in the heart of a volcano and that the heat might just kill him.

In the centre of the platform there was a giant, at least fifty feet tall. He had a large beard that occasionally caught fire, a metal eye and a mismatched metal leg, but was very well built, with powerful muscles in his arms and shoulders. He stood over a forge that was so large it could have been an aircraft carrier turned upside down. He held a huge, double headed hammer and he was using it fashion a sword. Every time the hammer struck the blade, sparks shot everywhere with an earsplitting noise, the ground trembled enough to rattle Percy's bones, and light swiveled through the air twisting and turning over the blacksmith's head before it flowed into the blade and was absorbed by it.

Percy watched the weapon, fascinated. He could tell that it was perfectly balanced and that it was the most powerful sword he would ever see. It glowed with blue light, and the carvings on its side which made an intricate and flowing design, were bursting with green and white light. He couldn't tell what metal the blade was made of but he knew the alloy would never fail, not if a mountain was thrown on it. There was energy all around the blade and the power it emanated could be felt all around the volcano, making Percy feel strong yet wary.

An eagle swooped down from the edge of the crater and flew towards the giant. It approached the blacksmith and transformed into another man, who stood proud and demanding before the craftsman. The arrival was a tall man, with a long white beard and deep blue eyes that seemed to see right through you. He was muscled and strong but he also had an aggressive and violent feel to him, like someone whose duties will never let him reach calm and peace.

"Father" said the forger. "You're early".

"There is no time to waste my son" replied the man. "The situation becomes worse by the second. Is it ready?" he asked, a dangerous and greedy look coming over his face.

"Yes" answered the blacksmith. "It is done. Much of my power has gone into it and I will have to rest for long before I can recover, but it is done. Every god of Olympus has put some of their power, craft and skill into its making and it holds our combined strength. I will never be able to make a weapon like this again".

"Thank you" answered the father. "I know this task took much from you but this sword will deliver a swift victory over those that threaten us. We will not need to resort to demigods or mortals, I will handle this myself.

"Perhaps" replied the son, "I do not wish to question your judgment father but I believe our enemies may be defeated without this blade, if we trust our children. The blade has great power but it also carries great danger. It holds the spirit and power of every Olympian and so only one that is true of heart and who truly represents us all will be able to wield it. A single thought of personal gain, of mistrust or doubt for another god will render the sword useless. It may fail you when you most need it".

"It will not" was the swift answer. "I wish for the survival and victory of Olympus over anything else. The sword will see this. I will not fail".

"Very well, father" replied the younger man. "Then take the sword. Just one more word of caution. The limits the sword imposes on us will not apply to everyone. Loyalty and truthfulness will only be expected from the gods and our descendants. If our enemies take it from you, my lord, they will be able to wield the sword themselves, or transfer its powers into their own weapons. Should that happen, Olympus will fall. Use it wisely".

The elder man looked at his son, and Percy could tell he would not heed his son's warning. There was too much pride in his eyes and desire for the power the sword could offer. Without a word, he turned into a golden eagle and flew outside the crater into the clear sky, fading from view.

When his father left, the blacksmith fell over with a huge crash and slept on the floor of the volcano. The rumble of the giant's fall took him by surprise and he lost his balance and fell. He closed his eyes and put his hands out to stop the fall but it never came. The temperature went down and he was suddenly wet again. He woke up to Jamie's voice screaming, "Wake up you idiot! I need you now!".


	4. Chapter 4  The sea and the beach

Hi guys. I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while but fanfiction crashed and I couldn't sign in at all. I hope there are still some of you out there. Any constructive comment or criticism would be appreciated, I've only had two reviews so far. Thanks to both of you !

**Chapter 4 – Jamie discovers some new powers**

When Jamie crashed face first into a rising tower of water, she expected to die right then and there. Instead, the body of water caught them softly and it slowed their fall without stopping them. They plunged downwards straight through it, like an elevator descending a tall building and their momentum carried them with such force that they didn't stop until they were over 20 feet beneath the ocean surface. Jamie kicked hard and started to swim to the surface, with Percy and Liam following on either side of her.

Jamie burst through into the sunlight, coughing some water and trying to catch her breath. To her left, Liam surfaced as well and he gave her a pale look before making his way slowly towards the shore. He was bleeding from the chimera's attack and a small red trail flowed behind him, like a guide meant to lead lost swimmers back to land. Jamie looked to her right and saw Percy surface as well. He stared at the beach for a second, looked her in the eyes and then he lost consciousness.

She swam over to him before he could sink and caught him just as his eyes were about to go under. She turned him around so that he'd be facing upwards and put her arm around his neck, like she'd seen on lifeguard programs and safety brochures. "Percy!" she shouted, and slapped him across the face, "wake up you idiot! Come on!" But Percy remained determinedly unconscious and he just snored and mumbled something indistinguishable.

Jamie started to panic. She had always been a strong swimmer, her dad had given her plenty of lessons in L.A., but she'd never had to pull a sixteen year old guy along with her and Percy weighed like a sack of rocks. However, she couldn't just leave him, not after all he'd done for them and, even though he didn't remember it, because they were becoming very close. So she kicked her sneakers and socks off and she started to paddle with her free arm, aiming for the beach and following the trail that Liam was leaving behind. She looked towards the beach and saw that it was only about five hundred feet away. They could make it.

Slowly, very slowly, they started to make some progress, Liam a few feet ahead and Jamie dragging Percy along behind her. She tried to distract herself from her tired arms and legs by thinking on something else, anything that could make her forget how heavy his friend was and she came to the complicated subject that was her dad. He was a tall and proud man, a doctor who'd spent half his life travelling the world treating people in underdeveloped countries, before settling down in California and becoming Chief of Surgery in a hospital in Los Angeles. He was kind and he loved Jamie, but he was also demanding and he expected her to be the best, to go the extra mile, and her failings in school only got him frustrated.

It had been a couple of months since she had last seen him, on the first days of March, just before spring break. They usually got along great and he encouraged her in all her projects and ideas and they swam together frequently. But he was a closed man and always an authority, never a friend. He rarely talked about himself or his past and he refused to tell her absolutely anything about her mother. Sometimes, she wondered what things he might have lived through, living and working in places like Somalia, Cambodia and Colombia, to make him close up so completely, to the point she sometimes wasn't sure she really knew him. And she wondered what had happened between him and her mom that he didn't have any pictures of her and he wouldn't even have her mentioned.

That year, her relationship with her father had reached an all-time low. They'd been having problems when Jamie decided she would try to find her mother and had insisted that he told her who she was. Then, their constant fighting had caused her to ignore school and her grades and conduct had suffered, much to his anger. And then, to cap it all, she had gotten so mad at school she had caused an incident that had gotten her expelled for the second time in four years, and nobody believed that she really hadn't done it.

It had all been the fault of her English teacher Mrs. Greengrass. She had taken her to the second floor auditorium, which overlooked the school's new swimming pool and, while the headmaster and the Board walked the edges of the pool discussing the investment, explained that she was failing her course, "because she hadn't shown the appropriate conduct or attitude for a lady of this school". Jamie's mind had burst with anger and she started to yell at the old bully when, according to the students that were in the auditorium, she had pushed Mrs. Greengrass with immense force and thrown her out the window, flying about fifteen feet in the air before crashing into the President of the Board and taking him for an unplanned swim.

Except she hadn't done anything. She had never touched the woman. While she argued, her mind had gone into a frenzy of anger so that, for a second, all she could think was how much she hated the unfair old bat. And then bam, without warning, the professor was flying out the window like an eagle on steroids. Still, no one had believed her and three kids in the room could swear they'd seen throw Miss Greengrass out. And even though she cried and insisted she hadn't done anything and that she didn't even have the strength to launch a fully grown woman out the window like a catapult, no one believed her, and she'd kindly been asked not to return to school after spring break.

When she told his dad, he was furious. "I can't believe this Jamie! Again?" he yelled. "I really don't understand what the problem is! You've got every opportunity life has to offer and you throw it away in childish pranks! Why do you insist on doing these things?"

"But I didn't!" she argued. "I swear dad, I have no idea how it happened, one second she was standing there and the-."

"Enough!" he interrupted. "That is it. You'll be going to a boarding school in San Francisco, where I hope they can talk some sense into you. This is not up for discussion, tomorrow morning I'll enroll you and you'll start there next Monday. Now go to your room. I have to go to work for a couple of days so I might not see you again until July". He left then and he called her from the office the next morning, saying he'd arranged for her to take a flight to San Francisco and that everything had been set up with the school. They hadn't talked since.

Jamie came out of her musings when she saw Liam slowing down. She closed the distance to her friend and saw that he was having trouble. You had to admit, she thought, the guy is tough. His side was torn up pretty badly. The chimera's claws had made a gash down his right side about two inches wide and a foot long, running parallel to his ribs. Fortunately, the cut did not seem to be very deep, but it was still bleeding steadily and the seawater could only be painful for him. Still, he didn't complain and just kept swimming slowly, occasionally floating for rest. He was deathly pale and his face looked gaunt.

As she approached, he looked at her with worry. "Can you pull him on your own?" he asked. His voice sounded exhausted. "I can help you, you know" he offered softly.

"No, I can take him" said Jamie, "you're bleeding pretty badly. Are you sure you can make it on your own? It's not too far now". Jamie was actually terrified Liam would faint too, she could never hope to pull both of them along. "Sure" Liam whispered. "I got it". His voice had a firmness to it, but Jamie wasn't convinced, he was still losing blood into the immense ocean and his eyes were strangely unfocused.

Liam smiled and continued to swim. Every time he used his left arm to pull himself forward he grimaced from the pain but he just kept going. His breathing got shallower and he started to pause for rest more often, his eyes glazing over for moments.

"Percy, wake up" Jamie said in his ear. "Wake up. Liam needs our help. Wake up".

But no answer. Percy's eyes remained determinedly shut and she continued to pull him along. Her arms started to hurt more and her legs were failing her, but she went on, kicking harder. They were only about fifty feet from the shore when Liam stopped swimming.

"You okay?" she asked. "We're almost there, just a little more".

"Yeah" he answered, "just tired. I'm just gonna stop here for a second and then… go on… yeah… just a sec…"

His eyes closed and he started sink, slowly. Jamie was only a foot away and she used her free arm to snatch him around his neck, just like she had Percy. But now she only had her legs, and the weight of three people to pull forward. She kicked out with all her strength. Once, twice, three times. Her legs screamed in pain and burned like she was swimming in lava, but they were moving forward, they were just short, she'd be able to stand soon and hold them up…

And then her strength gave out. She gave one last feeble kick before they started to sink. "Percy, wake up!" she managed to yell before their heads went under. Panic seized her, they were steadily sinking to the ocean floor, and there was no one to help them. She could leave the guys behind and save herself but she could never live with the memory. Desperation took hold and she looked around for something, anything that might save them.

And then her mind went into overdrive. She was suddenly aware of everything around them, of the rocks on the ocean floor, the fish that were circling in the water, the plants that grew out of the rocks and the beach, down to every last grain of sand. She felt like all these things were within the reach of her mind, that she could touch them, move them, control them. But, more than that, she felt the energy that emanated from them and knew that she could harness it, control it and release it as she wished.

She focused on the sea. She could see the energy it produced, vibrant and powerful. She gathered it out of every living being, the rocks, the water, and compressed it into the smallest size possible, making a small ball of concentrated energy just behind and below them. She crushed it harder and harder until there was so much force in a single spot it felt like she was a holding a small bomb with her mind. And then, she let it go.

It exploded with a huge boom. It was so strong it felt like she'd shot a bazooka into the water and hit an underwater mine. They shot forward like they'd been fired out of a cannon, flying crazy fast out of the ocean and aiming for the beach like a meteor.

"Peeeeercy !" yelled Jamie in mid-air. "Wake up, you idiot!"

And he did. His green eyes opened suddenly and brightly, his first view being a very fast approaching beach from thirty feet in the air. He managed to say "holy freaking…AAH!" before they all crashed into a dune halfway down the beach. A huge plume of dust rose into the air and they went straight through the small mountain of sand, rolling around the beach floor, before they came to a stop, lying close to one another.

Jamie got up slowly. She was aching all over, but nothing seemed to be broken, only bumps and bruises. Percy got up as well and he seemed to be fine, too. He didn't even seem to have any bruises, even though both the chimera's tail and the crash should have given him some. After he checked on her, he headed over to Liam. He was still unconscious and bleeding and he hadn't even reacted to their flight and crash on the beach.

"He's in shock" said Percy. "We need to close his wounds and then wait for him to recover enough to be moved. We'll need to light a fire, to keep him warm".

"We can't stay here" Jamie argued. "We have to go".

Percy looked at her warily. "Yeah" he answered. "But I'm not trusting you with the travel arrangements, Miss American Airlines. What on earth happened? Last I remember we were in the middle of the sea, swimming, and next thing I know we're going kamikaze on the beach. Was that you?"

"Well, you fainted, didn't you?" she answered angrily, "and I had to drag you along and then Liam blacked out too so I had to do something. The flying, I don't really know, I kinda went into super speed mind-freak mode when I couldn't pull you anymore and then boom, we were flying. I didn't really mean for it to go that way".

Percy looked stunned. "You sent us flying with your mind?" he asked. "Now that is _seriously_ awesome. Can you do it again?"

"No." Jamie said. "I don't think so, I can't even see or feel the energy I used anymore, it just isn't there. Maybe I have to be drowning for it to work".

Percy chuckled and said "we'll work on it". His face got serious then and he said "Let's go. There is a forest just past the beach. We can camp there tonight and I'll build a fire and close Liam's wounds before we make our way to Caldecott Tunnel in the morning".

"Are you serious about that?" Jamie asked. "Shouldn't we just take him to a hospital? He doesn't look too good."

"No way" Percy answered. "I don't think we can move him that far and, besides, there might be monsters there. Garret said we'd be safe if we went to Caldecott Tunnel. I don't know why, but I think we can trust him. He died to save us. And besides, he knew some things about me. If I go to this place, I might find out more".

"So you really don't remember anything? Nothing at all?" she asked, her voice sad, but also hopeful.

"Not a blessed thing" Percy responded. "Come on, I'll carry him".

He went over to Liam, checked his pulse again and put him on his back. Jamie sighed, and followed.

They walked in silence for about an hour, until they'd climbed out of the beach, crossed the highway and entered the forest on the other side of the road. It wasn't a very old or large forest. The trees were mainly holly but they weren't particularly tall. Percy led her to a small clearing where there were a couple of fallen trees and some tall grass.

He laid Liam down gently, putting a clump of grass and roots as a pillow behind his head, and covering him with his jacket. "We need some firewood" he said and together they gathered dry sticks and some good logs to burn. They got a fire going as dusk descended.

"His wounds have stopped bleeding" said Percy, "but they still need to be closed, and he needs to eat if he's going to be fit to travel tomorrow". He then remembered the supplies Garret had given him and took the plastic bag from his jacket pocket, where he found little red squares that looked like brownies. He shrugged and tried to wake Liam up. He opened his eyes and asked bemusedly "wassup mate? You look like hell". Percy laughed and said "eat this" and fed him the squares.

Color came back to his face and his eyes opened fully and focused. Percy watched fascinated as the cut on his side slowly closed and left nothing but a jagged scar on his side, a warrior's wound, he thought. "How do you feel?" he asked Liam. "Can you travel tomorrow?"

"Yeah" was Liam's answer. "All I need is a good night's sleep. See you tomorrow."

Percy laughed again and left him alone. It was fully dark now and he sat next to Jamie. "Tomorrow's gonna be a long day" he said. "You should rest. Go on. We'll talk about everything tomorrow". She smiled at him and realized the swim and, magic she supposed, had really left her exhausted. She found the softest spot of grass and lied down. Her last image was Percy, deep in thought, while he sat down and stoked the fire.

More soon guys, I'm working on Chapter 5. It's gonna be awesome.


	5. Chapter 5  New Friends

Hi guys. I hope you like this new chapter. Kind of long but lots of action and battle in it. Let me know what you think of it ! I'd really appreciate some reviews, either good or bad.

**Chapter 5 – New friends **

Liam felt like he had only just put his head down when he was woken up again by Jamie. He got up quickly and his head spun so much he almost tripped and fell again.

"Take it easy, bud" said Percy from the other side of the clearing. "We won't get going for a few minutes, so you still have a while to get ready."

Liam didn't know how he was supposed to get ready, seeing as how he didn't have any possessions on him except the small harp he'd stolen from the school basement and his clothes. He walked over to a nearby creek and splashed his face with cold water. His head stopped spinning after a couple of seconds and he felt very much like himself again, like he hadn't run away from school and almost drowned in the sea the day before.

"I'm ready" he said. "Where to?"

"We're headed for Caldecott Tunnel, on Highway 24" answered Jamie. "That's straight across this forest, the tree line actually ends half a mile short of the eastern end of the tunnel. From there, we don't know. We're hoping to find that place Garret told us about, where we'd be safe, only we don't where or what it is".

"_Castra Roma" _said Percy and a tingle came up Liam's spine. "Its name is _Castra Roma_ though I don't know what that means".

"It means Camp Rome, Percy" Liam answered immediately. "In Latin."

"You speak Latin?" both Percy and Jamie asked at the same time.

"Well, not fluently" he answered, a little taken aback. "But yeah, I had some lessons back in the UK, you know, conjugate your verbs, know your trees, your cows and your gods. I was always quite good at it".

"Camp Rome" Percy said slowly. He looked disturbed by the name, like it wasn't what he'd expected. But he snapped out of it after a pause and said "we should get going guys. Let's go find all this Latin freaks, see what they can tell us".

They made their way across the forest in silence, walking in a straight line. Jamie led the way because she seemed to know where they were going, Liam went in the middle and Percy took the rear. They walked all morning without a word, just listening to their own footsteps and the noises of the forest.

They headed consistently south and the sun rose on their left and shone brightly through the trees. Liam felt invigorated in the sunlight, like a solar battery in the desert and he walked with more determination, anxious to find out what on earth was going on, why they'd been chased from school by monsters and why his friend had lost his memories.

Lunchtime came and went and their stomachs began to grumble. Liam didn't know where they were going but he hoped they would have some good food over there. He climbed over a log behind Jamie and as he jumped down on the other side he saw something. It was only a flash but he could swear he had seen a girl, standing on the branch of a young oak, just to their left. He looked intently at the place where he'd seen her and waited to see if there was any movement. Except for a rustle in the leaves, nothing.

He supposed it was probably his imagination but he started to get nervous and to pay more attention to his surroundings, watching and listening intently as they travelled. Half an hour later, he saw something again. They were crossing a small creek and he kneeled as if to drink some water and to his left he saw the glitter of the sun refracting from a metal surface. It blinded him for a second and when he looked again he barely saw the back of a guy in his teens disappearing into the woods and carrying a blade hung across his back.

"Percy, Jamie" muttered Liam. "I think we're being followed".

"You sure?" asked Percy quietly. "What did you see?"

"A guy and a girl, maybe more, hidden in the forest. They've been following us for over an hour. And yes, I'm sure of what I saw, but I don't know where they are anymore".

They continued to walk but with the alertness of a pack that knows it's being hunted, watching every corner, tree and nook their hunters might be hiding. They increased their speed and weaved and turned, hoping to see them again, force them into a mistake that would reveal their position. On one occasion they made a sharp turn to the right and marched quickly and they heard the noise of a branch break and footsteps moving away to their right.

"All right" said Percy. "That settles it. We need to get to them before they get bored and shoot us from the trees. They're keeping their distance, always safely away. We'll have to split up. I'll go right and-"

"No" cut in Liam. "I'll find them. Let's stop for a second and I'll scout, I know I can see them without them spotting me, and then I'll let you know where they are, so you can go in and bust some heads".

Percy didn't seem to like the idea much. He hesitated and looked Liam straight in the eye. Liam stared right back, confident that he could do this and get back safely. Some form of understanding passed between them and, after a pause, Percy nodded, giving him the go-ahead and the responsibility. Liam felt a rush of excitement at Percy's acceptance. He had been pretty useless in the fight against the chimera and he'd been unconscious for most of the past day so now was his chance to do something, to prove his worth.

"Let's stop for a second guys!" he yelled out loudly so that anyone around could hear him. "I need to go to the bathroom for a second!"

Percy and Jamie gave him a funny look but didn't say anything and he jumped off and went into the underbrush. He could feel the eyes of someone watching him so he ran for a bit, quickly making his way deeper into the forest. He turned hard to the right and ran in a different direction. He heard some noises behind him and he knew his pursuer could not keep him in sight at this speed without revealing himself. He was out of sight, if only it were for the seconds it took his pursuer to find a new position to watch him from. Liam chose that moment to change direction again, took a hard left, ran and hid inside some shrubs. He waited for a full minute and listened intently. Very softly, he heard footsteps moving just ten feet from him but moving away towards the left. If he moved right, and was completely silent, he could get leave this guy far from where Percy and Jamie were searching for him.

Liam crawled slowly under the cover of brush and some bushes, in Percy's and Jamie's direction, until he had travelled about fifty feet. He was sure whoever had been following him had gone off in the opposite direction but it was obvious he'd be returning to inform his friends of what a sorry failure he was very soon. So Liam hurried and circled Percy and Jamie's position so he'd reappear on the exact opposite side where he'd disappeared. He aimed for the same distance and angle where he'd seen the girl that morning. If he was lucky, she'd still be in the same general place, watching Jamie and Percy.

He was lucky. As he finished a half turn around Percy and Jamie's position, he saw her. It was a girl with pale blond hair and a small nose. She was wearing light armor, built for speed and agility but still offering some protection. She was looking intently at Jamie, who was now standing alone, through a gap in the trees and she hadn't noticed him coming up behind her. A knife hung loosely from her waist, the pummel facing towards him. He crept very slowly and quietly in her direction, making no noise and holding his very breath. A foot, two feet and, in a flash, he jumped and snatched the knife from her waist.

The girl turned around violently and screamed in fury. She aimed a punch at him but he ducked and rammed her into a tree, putting the tip of the knife against her neck and his hand over her mouth. She froze and looked at him murderously out of intense black eyes, but she stopped struggling when she felt the knife pressing against her jugular. He lifted his hand slowly and applied a little pressure on the knife at the same time, to make sure she wouldn't scream again.

There was a moment of silence where there was nothing to be heard except birds chirping and the sound of a breeze rustling the leaves on the forest floor. Liam was surprised at the look on the girl's face for, even though she was quite pretty, she looked absolutely cold and calm while being threatened with a knife, like she did this every day.

"So what are you going to do, stranger?" she asked quietly. "Are you gonna kill me?"

"Maybe" said Liam "but I've got some questions for you first, luv. Who are you and why are you following us?"

"I won't answer any questions from you" she said firmly. "Let me go and I'll beat your sorry ass in a fair fight".

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen" Liam muttered angrily. "We've been through enough since yesterday and I want some answers. Now give me a straight answer or else-

"Or else what, _Liam?" _whispered another voice behind him. Liam turned his head to see that he had been surrounded by two people, one standing on either side of him, and both pointing their blades at him.

The guy standing on his right looked pretty tough. He had a savage face, with plenty of scars decorating his cheeks and a particularly gruesome one going down from his chin and into his shirt. He had wild red hair which reached his shoulders and made a straggly mess around his head. He was wielding a golden, double-edged battle axe so large he had hold it with both hands and it seemed like he'd be happy just to swing, decapitate him and go home for dinner.

The girl, on the other hand, was absolutely gorgeous. She had black hair and bright blue eyes, with a fine nose, soft features and a freckly face. Ordinarily, Liam would have liked to talk to her, ask her who she was, what she was doing later, but right now, she looked positively furious and was holding two short golden swords close to his throat. She looked extremely displeased and he could tell she'd kill him the first chance she got.

"So you found me, huh?" Liam asked her stupidly. "Thought you were on the other side of the clearing, still searching".

"I realized what you were doing immediately" said the pretty girl intensely. "I knew you'd come around and try to ambush Alexa so I came here directly. Now let her go if you don't want Bruce to cut your head off. I'm not asking again".

Liam hesitated. He didn't like his chances against three armed and trained teens while he only held a stolen knife to defend himself. His hostage was his only chance of staying alive long enough for Percy and Jamie to make their way there and help him out the mess he'd gotten himself into.

"I don't think so, luv" Liam bargained. "Make a move and I'll take this girl out before you even have a chance to touch me". He hoped he sounded confident but he wasn't really sure, so he just went on. "How about you put your weapons down instead? Then we can all have a nice chat and a cup of tea".

The guy with the red hair and savage face laughed. "You think you can negotiate with us, you English punk?" he asked derisively. "Alexa knows the rules of war. If you are caught or injured in combat you immediately become a casualty of war. No one will save you. The only reason we haven't killed you yet is that you might have some answers, and we want you alive. But then again, there are two others we can get that information from so we could just kill you and get them…"

Liam tensed. He turned to the girl and saw that her eyes had flared open and that she seemed afraid behind her cool demeanor. Despite what the other guy might have said, it was clear to him that she didn't want Alexa to die and that she was worried, not just about her friend, but about something else. But still, the guy had a hungry look in his eyes that told him he might just go violent any second. Either that, or before long they'd figure out he was bluffing and that there was no chance he was actually going to kill the girl.

He was trying to think of something to say to stop the guy from swinging the double headed axe and cutting him in half, when the blue-eyed girl made her move. She stepped in and brought her right sword straight down, aiming for a quick and violent cut on his knife arm at such a speed it would have been impossible for him to stab Alexa before she hit him, even if he had wanted to. It was a perfect move; she'd taken full advantage of his complete focus on the axe-bearing guy and had probably guessed his unwillingness to take Alexa's life. Liam braced himself, waiting for the pain and simply stared at Alexa's eyes without flinching.

But the blow never came. As the blue-eyed girl swung her sword down, Percy's bronze shield flew out of the forest like a huge and deadly Frisbee, heading straight for her with such force it would have sent her crashing into the forest, not to mention the serious slash the razor sharp edges of the shield would've made. But again, she reacted faster than the eye could follow, faster than anyone Liam had ever seen. She threw her head backwards and bent her spine and her knees slightly, so that the shield passed over her head as if she'd limboed under it, actually grazing the tip of her nose before moving on across the clearing.

Bruce was less lucky. After passing over its original target, the shield continued its deadly path towards him but he, being taller, was going to get hit in the middle of the chest. He tried to bring his axe up to cover himself from the strike but he was too slow. The shield caught him in the middle of his breastplate and the force of the strike threw him ten feet in the air and sent him crashing into a tree on the edge of the clearing. His breastplate was cut neatly in half and he stayed on the floor there, looking dazed and bleeding slowly from a shallow cut on his chest.

Percy jumped with a fierce yell and attacked the blue-eyed girl who was just straightening from her dodge. She was forced to raise both her golden swords in an X to stop Percy's bronze sword from hitting her between the eyes. He had struck her with such force that he'd expected her to be thrown to the ground from the shock. Instead, she used the energy of the crash to roll backwards and jump to a safe distance. She didn't waste a second and jumped straight up and somersaulted over Percy's head, making a double horizontal slash meant to chop his head right off.

As the blue-eyed girl somersaulted, Alexa used the distraction caused by Percy's appearance and sank her knee deep into Liam's midriff. The kick drained his lungs of air and he staggered backwards in pain. She then jumped forward and aimed another punch at his face. Liam tilted his head back and it missed by an inch. He slashed with the stolen knife and forced her to jump backwards, allowing him to recover his breath and take a stand. But she wasn't done yet, she crouched and took a second knife from an ankle bracelet, wielding it with a careless familiarity. It was a smaller than the one Liam had taken from her but it still looked deadly. She eyed him for a second, and then attacked.

Percy ducked just in time and the girl's twin swords slashed the air above his head. She roared with anger and charged him, with a furious set of jabs and slashes. Percy was pushed back and he was amazed at the speed and agility of the girl. He was forced to parry, dodge and step back just to keep himself from getting run through. But after retreating for several steps, he started to see a pattern, there was an order, a discipline to her strikes and she lacked creativity in her form of battle. He could predict where she would hit and, once he knew this, he could counter her strategy and match speed for speed and blow for blow. Percy dodged a horizontal slash by kneeling and blocked her second vertical strike with his bronze sword. They held each other for a second before Percy shoved her sword aside and jumped straight up, headbutting her in the face as hard as he could. She stumbled backwards confused and in pain.

Percy saw his opening and pounced with a downwards strike from above his head. She barely managed to block it with her left hand and her sword spiraled off and sunk into a nearby tree. Percy would have disarmed her completely right then and there, but a huge golden axe came swinging from the side. Percy parried and the force of the blow almost threw him to the ground. He managed to use his opponent's strength and roll sideways, like the girl had done before, and he recovered quickly enough to deflect the huge red-haired guy's second swing.

Things started to look bad for Percy. The girl recovered from getting her face smashed and she joined the fight with her remaining sword. Combined with the huge red-haired guy, they made a terrible combo. The guy was slow and clumsy but every one of his swings was so powerful it was almost unblockable, forcing Percy to jump out of its way or try to change the blade's direction with his sword. Simultaneously, the girl moved with incredible speed, trying to catch him off guard or to get behind his back. Even though she only had one sword left and was bleeding from her nose, she pressed Percy hard and threw three or four strikes between every swing of the guy's axe. Percy was slowly forced to move backwards between blocks, parries and dodging.

Things were also looking bleak for Liam. He had gotten into plenty of fights in London and he knew how to take care of himself but Alexa was in another league. She slashed time and time again and he barely managed to block her knife or dodge her swings, making a hasty retreat and practically running around the clearing escaping from her. He realized he had no chance against this girl in hand to hand combat and that he would be beaten soon if he didn't pull out something new.

He jumped back from her last swing and rolled sideways, grabbing a large rock from the ground as he rose. Before the girl had a chance to close the distance between them he threw the rock at her, aiming for her stomach. She managed to dodge it but just barely, making her lose her balance for a second. Liam chose that moment to throw his knife as hard as he could at her. His aim was true but Alexa managed to place her own knife in the way, blocking his throw and sending his knife into the trees. However, the move cost her balance and she fell down on her back. Liam pounced as fast as he could and they wrestled for the remaining knife, knowing whoever got it would take the fight.

Percy was almost to the edge of the clearing and he knew that if he reached the trees he'd be a goner. In desperation, he tried something new, he somersaulted just like the blue-eyed girl had done before and tried to slash at Bruce, aiming for his neck. The guy obviously knew the move and what Percy was trying to do and he laughed stupidly as he raised his axe and blocked the slash. But he wasn't expecting it when Percy snatched out with his other arm, grabbed his wild red hair and face planted him hard into the ground. His laugh was cut short as he fell and his temple hit a rock. He stayed still after that, obviously unconscious.

"It's just you and me, blue eyes" said Percy. "Think you can take me?"

"Who are you?" she asked angrily. She was still bleeding from her nose and her face was all red from the fight. "Who are your parents?" she demanded forcefully.

The hairs on Percy's arms stood on end at the second question. His parents. He tried to remember them and a feeling took over him like a warm smile watching over him, a hand over his crib. The girl saw that she had unnerved him and she attacked him again, almost catching him by surprise. But it was easier this time, she was tired and bleeding and still her attacks were routine and mechanical. If he were any slower she'd beat him easily, but as it stood, he could take her.

Percy blocked her sword and they held each other in place for a couple of seconds. She was breathing heavily. He stepped in and pushed her with his left hand while tripping her with his right leg. She went down and landed flat on her back, obviously winded. He pinned her and put his sword to her neck.

"Surrender" he ordered. "I have no wish to kill you, but I will if you resist."

She was about to answer when, to their right, they heard a roar of triumph and Alexa came out the winner in her wrestle with Liam and she brandished a knife in her right hand. Liam looked dazed and didn't move. She pointed the knife at Liam and was about to say something when an earsplitting yell burst through the clearing.

"Stop!" Jamie yelled furiously from the edge of the clearing. Percy froze and, surprisingly, so did Alexa. Her command had immobilized them somehow and they just stared at her for a couple of seconds.

"Stop fighting. Please" she said. "This doesn't make any sense, we don't even know who you are. We do not mean you any harm. We are just travelling, looking for a place called _Castra Roma. _Let us go and we'll get out of your way, you won't ever see us again".

"You're heading for _Castra Roma?_" Alexa asked. "That's where we're from... but no one ever gets this close to it without a guide. Who brought you here?"

"No one" answered Percy. He stood up and let the blue eyed girl go. She rose slowly and retrieved her fallen sword. "We met this guy called Garret who told us we should come to _Castra Roma _at Caldecott Tunnel on Highway 24. He said we'd be safe there".

"Garret?" asked the blue-eyed girl, looking shocked. "We know him, he's also a camper. But he's a protector, he's supposed to be in San Francisco, guarding two young half-bloods. He contacted camp three days ago, said he was ready to bring them in, that he was worried about a monster in the school..."

"Yeah..." said Jamie. "He was. That was Jamie and me. We were attacked by a chimera while we were there and he, uhm, he saved us. We only got away because of him... but he died, disappeared in the fight. I'm sorry."

The blue-eyed girl stared at her, wordlessly. She seemed taken aback by the news and tears actually welled in her eyes before she brushed them off angrily. She closed her eyes and visibly calmed herself before speaking again.

"But he was only guarding two people, why are there three of you? Who's the extra?"

"Me" said Percy. "My name is Percy Jackson. Garret said he didn't know me before yesterday but he told me to come too, to lead Jamie and Liam here, and see if I could get some answers. And now it's time you answered some questions of our own. Who are you? What is _Castra Roma _and what are halfbloods? Why did you attack us?"

Alexa considered him thoughtfully. "My name is Alexa, the guy on the floor is Bruce and that is Reyna. We are all campers at _Castra Roma, _the place you've been searching for. We followed you because you came very close to our borders and we guard our camp zealously. We actually weren't going to attack unless you reached the camp borders or showed any signs of aggression but then this guy came up behind me and things kind of got out of control. As to what _Castra Roma _actually is, and what half-bloods are, I can't really explain it now. We'll have to take you there and, if you can enter, you will understand".

"What do you mean, _if_ we can enter" asked Jamie.

"It depends if you are really one of us, if you're really a halfblood" said Reyna. "And even if you are, there are tests, three tests you'll have to pass. Only the best can enter _Castra Roma_."

"What kind of tests?" asked Percy, raising his sword.

"Oh, you won't have to fight" said Reyna smoothly. "Most kids get to _Castra Roma _when they can't even hold a sword. No, these are tests of character. They will show what you are made of, if you have what it takes to be a soldier of the Legion. Many fail our tests".

She looked at them coldly once more and said "Bruce is waking up. We should go now, so we can reach camp before the sun sets. Come on, the entrance is not far from here."


	6. Chapter 6  The First Test

Hi everyone. Thanks for the reviews so far. This one guy called invaderpercyjackson left a review saying I should check out his fanfiction but I can't find it. I've tried searching for it but no luck so far, so if anyone can post a link or let me know where it is, I'd appreciate it.

One thing you should know. Sometimes I'll go back and make some minor changes to the story. For example, some of you might have wondered where Percy got the ambrosia packages on chapter 4… I actually went back and changed chapter 2 so that Garret had given him some before taking on the chimera. I might do that from time to time… change previous chapters a bit to continue with the story as actions come into the plot that need background to be explained. I'll let you know when I do that, though. For instance I changed the ending of chapter 5 before starting this chapter (that was several days ago), it's basically the same thing but the dialogue at the end is a bit more credible now… I hope.

Anyways, here goes nothing:

**Chapter 6 – The First Test**

They made their way southwest, at a quick pace that was almost a slow trot, speaking only occasionally. As they walked, the sun continued to descend beyond the trees, leaving them in twilight and casting the whole woods in an orange glow that was really quite beautiful if any of them had been careless enough to appreciate it. They reached a river that veered off westwards, going downhill and aiming for a tall peak that stood between them and the Bay. Reyna and Alexa led the group down the river, with Percy, Jamie and Liam walking in a group behind them, and Bruce in the rear by himself, casually swinging his axe as he walked. Percy and Jamie looked at each other with understanding. It didn't matter that they hadn't actually surrendered or been captured, they were not going to _Castra Roma _as guests. They were prisoners right now and there would be no breaking up the group without another battle.

Despite that, Percy felt exhilarated. He had stayed up for most of the previous night, keeping watch over their camp and simply trying to remember something, anything, about his past. Every time he tried, the same white wall would come up in his mind and he could never go farther than the moment he'd woken up in Mr. Milkgoat's class. Except something had changed since the day before. There were cracks in the wall through which some things were creeping through, and even though he hadn't found any clear memories, actual scenes or events from his life, he'd gotten snatches of feelings, of words and phrases that didn't yet make sense to him but that he knew to mean something.

He had moved these feelings around in his head while he continued to stare at the dying fire, as if he could somehow find a clue to all of his unanswered questions in the glowing embers. As the night wore on, he entered into a state where he was half asleep and half awake, conscious of his surroundings but also dreaming, and he had seen an image inside the fire. A young girl with deep brown eyes had looked at him from within the flames with a face full of concern and sadness. The image had caused a powerful emotion to escape from beyond the wall in his mind, a feeling of well-being and homeliness that had no explanation in his recent memories and experiences. But the girl had offered no words of consolation and she had merely vanished into the fire with a look of pure regret on her face, like a mother who was unable to give her son the advice she knew he would need.

Still, the vision had given him hope. He was sure that all this visions monsters and halfbloods were real and it was when he encountered them that his brain seemed to wake up and grasp a memory. If he went on to _Castra Roma _and was absorbed in this world_, _his memory might come back completely.

Percy was so deep in thought remembering the girl with the brown eyes that he didn't notice Reyna had stopped walking a few steps ahead of him and he ran straight into her.

"Hey! Watch it!" she shouted at him. "Can't you see where you're going, dung-brains?"

An electric shock went through Percy at the insult. "What did you call me?" he asked.

"Dung-brains" she answered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No, it's just... forget it. I'm sorry I crashed into you".

Alexa looked at them with exasperation and shook her head.

"Be quiet, you two" she said. "We're here"

They had reached the mountain that Percy had seen in the distance through the woods. The river they had been following flowed into the side of the mountain through a small grotto and vanished beneath it, becoming an underground river that probably ran all the way into the sea. The mountain itself seemed ominous, high and mighty like a man standing guard before the entrance to the Bay.

"There's nothing here" said Jamie. "The river simply goes under the mountain, it probably surfaces on the other side and goes on into the sea. We'll have to circle the mountain or climb it to get to the other side".

"No" answered Reyna. "This is Mission Peak and this is where we leave you. On the other side of this mountain is _Castra Roma. _There is a tunnel that leads through the mountain and comes out on the other side. You must find the tunnel on your own and take it. In the heart of the mountain, you will face your tests. If you survive, you will be welcomed at camp and you will receive your training".

"Yeah" muttered Liam softly to Percy "we'll be as welcome as a fart in a phone booth, if you ask me".

"What did you say?" asked Bruce as Percy chuckled quietly.

"What? Me? Nothing, mate" Liam answered quickly.

"_Anyway_" said Alexa pointedly, "you're on your own now. Find the tunnel or get lost. We'll be waiting on the other side. If you don't make it by morning, we'll assume you died. Good luck".

And without so much as a handshake or a word of advice, they turned around and left, circling the mountain slightly and leaving them standing alone, in the dark, facing a mountain.

"Well that was helpful" said Liam. "Hi guys, we're taking you to this awesome place. It'll be brilliant. No wait, get there by yourselves or die trying. Byee. I hate those guys."

Percy and Jamie laughed. "They're not so bad" said Percy. "And if you ask me, that girl Alexa kinda had a thing for you, Liam. You must've caused an impression with all that knife-threatening business".

Liam felt himself blushing slightly but only managed a "sod off, Percy", which only made him laugh even more.

"What about Reyna?" he countered. "She was dead gorgeous mate and I could tell she was impressed with you taking her and Bruce out in that fight".

"Impressed?" Percy chuckled "She was furious man, I think I hurt her pride. She wanted to run me through the whole trip over here. I only think she didn't cause she listens to Alexa".

"Guys" Jamie cut in. "Would you stop talking about girls for a second? We kinda need to find a secret tunnel to lead us to our death, you know…"

"Bright little ray of sunshine, aren't you, Jamie?" said Liam. "Fine, it's supposed to be on the mountain, so I guess we should look around, see what we can find".

They separated. Liam went right and Percy went left. Jamie stayed where she was, with the task of looking around and maybe climbing a little. They searched for two hours, every nook and crevice in the mountain, looking for any opening or crack that might lead into the mountain. Twice they thought they'd found something but both times the entrances went in fifty feet in complete darkness before coming to a dead end.

They gathered again at the base of the mountain and sat down beside the river. It was completely dark by then and it was starting to get cold. They felt miserable.

"Those girls were toying with us" Liam complained. "We've searched everywhere and there are absolutely no tunnels around here, we might as well climb the mountain and get there tomorrow and apologize. Maybe that's what we're supposed to do, you know, forget about the stupid tunnel and just get there on our own, however we can".

"That can't be it" argued Percy. "This is supposed to be a test of character, it's supposed to challenge us. By finding the tunnel we are supposed prove something, even if it's only persistence. It has to be around here somewhere".

Jamie was staring at the river intently, watching the small grotto where it entered the mountain. "Maybe" she said slowly, "maybe it isn't a tunnel in the traditional sense of the word, like a road we walk through. Maybe it's something else, something natural. The test is not to actually find the entrance, it's been staring at us in the face this whole time. The challenge is to take the leap and enter it".

Percy followed her gaze and saw what she meant. "The river?" he asked. "It goes right through to the other side. But Jamie, the roof of that grotto is an inch away from the river's surface and I can tell it goes on like that for a while. If we dive into it and the tunnel doesn't drop, we won't be able to surface. And there's no way we can swim back against the current. We would drown".

"It's a test of faith" she answered simply. "Either you believe that _Castra Roma _is there and that you can make it, or you don't and you go back home".

"Do you really think so?" asked Liam. "This could be a big mistake".

"Yeah" she answered. "I really do. Only those who believe in magic can ever find it. This must be the first test and we need to prove our ability to believe. I think we need to dive into the river and enter the mountain through it".

They looked at each other for a few seconds in silence. Liam stood up.

"Well I think it beats sitting in the dark, moping about it. Let's do this. I needed a bath anyway".

Percy smiled, nodded and stood up as well. "All right" he said. "We'll all jump together. Take a big breath and let's hope the tunnel isn't like twenty feet beyond the place we stopped searching".

They all walked together to the edge of the river. It was thirty feet wide and very deep. They couldn't see its bottom in the darkness but Percy somehow knew it was too deep for them to stand and probably went down at least twenty feet. It rushed in front of them, roaring loudly. They stood there for a few seconds, the wind blowing around them and making a chill crawl up their spines.

"All right" said Jamie. "On my count. One… two… three!"

The water was freezing. They had jumped a safe distance away from the entrance to the mountain, so that they'd have time to dive and avoid busting their heads on the rocks. They approached the entrance, floating along the river very quickly and it looked to Percy like they were heading straight into the mouth of a monster that would devour them and never let them go.

"We're almost there!" shouted Percy. "When we get close, dive and swim forward as fast as you can!"

Percy waited until the very last second before taking a deep breath and going underwater. He expected to keep going at the same speed once they dove and that he'd be able to swim and maneuver inside the mountain. He was dead wrong.

The second they entered the mountain, everything went insane. Immediate darkness surrounded them when the moon and starlight were blocked off, so that Percy couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. Then, the water surged forward with incredible force, four or five times the speed they had been travelling at and they plunged forward in complete darkness like they were in an underwater roller coaster that twisted and turned and crashed into the sides of the tunnels. At one point they dropped so steeply it felt like they were freefalling before it turned and straightened again, making them crash into the tunnel's floor.

The ride seemed to go on forever. Percy kept his mouth firmly shut, holding his breath. He started to get dizzy both from the constant turning in the dark as well as from lack of air and he knew he wouldn't be able to go on for much longer. He was about to open his mouth and drown on river water when, suddenly, they passed through an opening into bright light and were pushed into a ramp at the top of a huge room. Liam and Jamie poked their heads out of the water on either side of him and stared.

"Oh my God" said Liam.

"What?" asked Percy.

"There's a waterfall coming" he answered quietly.

Before Percy or Jamie could say anything, they fell. It was a huge fall into a gigantic black lake and they screamed the whole way through until they landed with a splash that rose high in the air. For a second, they were all underwater near the bottom of the underground lake and Percy saw young girls wrapped in a soft blue light swimming around him. _Naiads, _his brain told him right before they smiled at him and disappeared. He swam upwards then, for the second time in two days, looking for fresh air to breathe.

"That was brilliant!" yelled Liam as they reached the surface. "We need to go do that again, mates. Who's up for it?"

"You're an idiot" said Jamie laughing. "Come on, there's a shore on the other side, let's go over there".

They swam to the far shore of the lake. As they approached, Percy saw that it was illuminated by torches that lined the walls and burned with a bright orange fire that didn't seem to diminish, even though it was unlikely anyone changed them or replenished the oil they burned. At the centre of the far wall, there were three doors.

For a while, they rested on the shore, panting from the trip underwater and drying themselves with the heat given off by the torches. They approached the doors and saw that they were not made of wood or steel but rather seemed carved out of the very rock the mountain was made of. They were semi-oval in shape and they didn't have any hinges, so that there was no way to open them by pushing or pulling. Above the door there was an inscription. It read:

_Fides, Virtus, Fidelitas_

_Teneo Vestri_

Liam approached the wall and examined it for a while. "It means Faith, Courage and Loyalty" he said. "And beneath it, it reads 'know yourself'. That's all it says".

"Reyna said there would be three tests" said Jamie. "If the first was a test of faith, do you think the two remaining will be a test of courage and a test of loyalty?"

"And what about the last line?" asked Percy. "Know yourself? I don't remember anything about me, I don't even know who I am. Maybe I can't pass this test".

"Don't worry, mate" said Liam. "You'll be fine. First, we need to figure out how to open these doors and then, which one to take".

"There's three doors" said Jamie. "I don't think we're supposed to take only one, Reyna said we'd face our tests alone in the heart of the mountain, I think we are meant to take one each. But how do we open them?"

"There's a carving on each of the doors" said Percy. "In the centre. It looks like it's meant for you to put your hand on it, it has edges for your fingers. Let me try".

He placed his hand on the left door and waited for a few seconds. Nothing happened. He then moved to the door in the middle and placed his hand again. This time, after a few moments, the door started to glow a deep sea green and an elegant design appeared in lights of blue. With a rumble, the door split along the middle and opened sideways, leading into a deep tunnel that lost itself in the mountain.

Liam then moved to the door on the right and placed his hand on the door. It also glowed but with a bright orange hue, and red and white carvings appeared on it, before opening into a steep tunnel going upwards. When Jamie placed her hand on the left door it glowed purple, with tinges of blue and black edging out of the door, before leading into a gloomy tunnel that headed downwards.

They each stood before a dark hallway that disappeared into darkness.

"I guess this is where we separate" said Jamie.

"Yeah" Liam answered. "We'll see each other on the other side".

"Be careful" said Percy.

And they all stepped through alone.

Hi guys, sorry for the late update. I had something of a writer's block on the tests so I ended up shortening the chapter a bit and only putting the first one. I've got some cool ideas for the next ones though and I'll try to post the next chapter before Easter. I know this is a short chapter but please review. And a big thanks to bornlucky101 for the two good reviews.

Bye. WPR.


	7. Chapter 7  The Heart of the Mountain

Hi guys. Here's the next chapter. I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to post for a while. I will be away for the Easter holidays, no computer no internet so I won't get to write anything this week. I'll get on Chapter 8 as soon as I get back though.

Several reviewers have asked why Percy got wet during his swim into the mountain. It's the same reason why he didn't control the currents or breathed underwater and why he even passed out at sea. When he lost his memory he lost consciousness of who he is, he hasn't yet realized he is a half-blood and much less that he is a son of Poseidon/Neptune. I imagine that, before realizing this when he was 12, Percy managed to swim in the pool or take a shower and actually get wet even if he didn't want to. It's only when half-bloods realize who they are and are faced with extreme situations that their powers manifest themselves. Percy has yet to remaster the ability to stay dry underwater. He will, soon.

Detail: there is a Lewis Carroll quote in this chapter. Just saying, you know, for plagiarism issues and to see if anyone here knows it.

Anyway, chapter 7. Hope you like it.

**Chapter 7 – The heart of the mountain**

Liam's tunnel rose steeply as he walked, rising to the very centre of the mountain. There were torches lining the side of the walls, burning with a bright orange fire, just like the ones that had been at the lake's shore, and they guided him forward like sentries posted along a road to show travelers which is the way.

He wondered how he had gotten himself into such a situation when only two days before he'd simply been an unusual kid from London, spending some time in the United States while his family figured out what to do with him and lived down the embarrassment he'd caused them. He chuckled at the thought of what they would think if they could see him now.

His family was rich, and not just rich, they were noble rich. His grandfather, Lord Cavendish, was the Duke of Devonshire and, as he constantly liked to remind those around him, one of the most influential men in Europe. His nephews and cousins were gravely disappointed when he had his first and only child, a beautiful daughter he named Victoria, who was born when he was past his sixtieth birthday and became the sole heiress to the title and the Cavendish fortune whilst displacing many other relatives that had been waiting for the old man to die without any children. Unfortunately, and to her relative's delight, Victoria developed a very sour relationship with her father, out of a mysterious and excessive lifestyle which his father did not approve. And then, she had taken her relationship with her father to a breaking point when she had unexpectedly given birth to him, Liam, a son whose father she was unwilling to reveal.

To this day she had not told anyone, not even Liam himself, who the father was, and there had been much speculation about it. Victoria's cousins and uncles had seen him with contempt, a source of embarrassment and someone to be hid from the public eye. They insisted that his grandfather renounced him and disowned his mother for having embarrassed the family. When they had actually had come face to face with Liam, he'd received a mixture of indifference and outright jealousy, leading to his estrangement from almost everyone in his family.

His mother had grown apart from them because of this and she had raised him in London by herself, while she worked as a barrister at a small firm that barely managed to get by. Despite his pompous manner and ideas of grandeur, Lord Cavendish was a good man and he had ignored the advice of his nephews and brothers, recognizing Liam as his direct descendant, welcoming him as a grandson and treating him with kindness. However, he had also wanted his heir to grow up to be a worthy representative of the Cavendish family and to be able to lead it to better times when he died, as he did not trust Victoria to do it herself. He had therefore insisted on providing his education, including sending him to expensive boarding schools such as Harrow and Eton as well as whatever summer "courses" he chose. His mother had resisted at first, but had accepted finally, acknowledging that it would give Liam, a 'troublesome' kid, a chance at a better future.

And that had not gone down well for Liam. If he were at public school where he could go unnoticed, he would've been just fine. But in Eton, everyone knew who he was and what his circumstances were. His cousins also attended the school and they tormented him in every way they could. Bullies, teasers, everyone seemed to be out to get him for his parentage and he got into innumerable fights each semester, almost getting expelled every year before his grandfather stepped in and talked to the school into letting him stay for another term.

The previous winter, things had come to a boil. He had gotten into another fight with a couple of guys called Lester Hodgins and Timothy Kent, idiots if he had ever seen any. Liam had gotten off worse from the fight, seeing as how it had been two on one, and so, he had decided to get back at them. The prank he pulled consisted in breaking down the stands where they and their families (including another Duke and a Marquee) were watching a polo match, making their whole row slide into the horse stables next to the court and into a huge pile of horse crap he had responsibly gathered and strategically placed. There was nothing his grandfather could do when he was caught, and Eton had expelled his sorry butt in the middle of a press scandal that would probably shame the Cavendish family for years and force his grandfather into extensive apologies to his distant cousins.

And so, his grandfather had sent him to a summer "course" in San Francisco, while he tried to fix the mess he'd caused. There, he was supposed to stay out of sight and learn how to behave but instead, he had befriended Jamie and Percy, with whom he spent the best two months of his life in a city where no one knew or cared who he was. From there, he had somehow managed to follow his new friends from the school, to the beach, to a forest and into a mountain where he was climbing through a tunnel that would somehow test his courage and his loyalty. He wondered what his grandfather would think of that. Maybe he'd be proud.

While he walked, Liam had noticed the tunnel getting smaller, the walls angling in so that he could touch either wall without having to stretch his arms. It made him nervous, he didn't really like closed spaces and much less being underground, he liked the open air and fields outside. A few minutes later, the tunnel really started to cramp down. The ceiling got lower and the walls started to close in so that he had to crouch to avoid hitting his head. He reached a spot where the torches ended and the corridor continued in utter blackness. The very last torch was shining brightly and seemed to point the way so he unhinged it and carried it in his right hand.

The going got harder. The ceiling got so low he was forced to continue on his knees and, just a bit further on, he was forced to crawl. The floor stopped being a smooth line and became a rocky outline, as if it had been dug by a drill and then left unfinished, instead of paved by human beings. As the tunnel stretched further and further, the air got thinner and heavier and he started to have trouble breathing. The tunnel was now only two feet wide and two feet tall, and extremely rough. As he travelled tore his jeans and his shirt and made small cuts all over his body.

He stopped for a second and wondered if he had somehow taken a wrong turn and chosen a tunnel that wasn't yet built. He was lying face down in the dirt and he felt the ground so close he could lift his head more than an inch without hitting his head. He looked back and saw that he had travelled quite a long way. It was impossible for him to miss any opening, it would've showed immediately. This was the only path and, seeing as how it had been the one to open for him, this was the way he was supposed to go.

The torch became much more of a hindrance so he got rid of it, leaving it lying on the ground behind him. With his hand free he could crawl more comfortably but he was forced to make his way in utter darkness, feeling the tunnel getting ever smaller than before.

He continued forward and wondered how far he had traveled and how long he had been there. It was so dark he didn't even know if his eyes were open or closed anymore, much less how far he was travelling, but he just kept crawling forward, telling himself it would be over soon. Liam followed a curve and, just beyond it, he saw the tunnel opening into a blinding light some fifty feet away. "Victory" he muttered to himself.

But of course, it could never be that easy. The second he cried out in triumph, the earth started to shake violently and the ground began to rumble beneath him. "An earthquake" mumbled Liam. He knew San Francisco was along a large fault line and that earthquakes were not uncommon but, of all times, there had to be an one now, when he was deep underground and crawling in a tunnel he was almost too large to fit through. The ground shook with incredible force and let out a roar that made it seemed like the very earth was raging below him. His teeth trembled and the vibrations became so powerful he hit his head against the roof of the tunnel and he was thrown against the side walls. Rocks and dirt started to fall around him in large piles and, in the distance, he could see them starting to cover the exit through which he had hoped to escape.

Terror seized him. The tunnel was collapsing and it was going to crush him if he didn't get out of there very soon. He looked behind him and saw that the tunnel was stable further back, there were no rocks and stones falling. He could reach it easily. Ahead of him, the exit seemed to be miles away, the chances of him reaching it before it collapsed were next to nothing. He started to panic, he didn't know what to do, there was no time. If he pushed forward, he might be able to get to the opening before it closed off completely but if he failed, he would die crushed by falling rocks or he would suffocate. Worst of all he could end up trapped inside the tunnel with no way of getting out and he would die there alone. He could easily save himself, all he had to do was to go back a few yards and he'd be out of there, but he would never reach _Castra Roma. _He would have failed. He would have failed his friends and his grandfather and himself.

"I should have chosen the door on the left" he muttered furiously.

He went forward. Madly, insanely in a semi-suicidal attempt but at least he had to try. One arm went in front of the other with fury, and he crawled as fast as he could, like a cobra slithering for its life. His jeans got completely torn on the side, his shirt got snagged on a rock and he ripped it completely, he got a deep cut on his arm, and another on his leg, his shoulders got a nasty scrape as he forced his way through a narrow pass, his back hurt like murder as rocks and sand and dirt fell on it again and again. He kept on going, ignoring the pain he was causing himself. He started to get close. A large rock, a part of the roof in fact, fell and hit him in the face, making his left eyebrow bleed, but he went around it and kept going. He was so close he could almost feel the air beyond the opening.

Rocks were getting higher and higher near the exit and just as he was about to reach it, a large section of the roof crumbled, leaving a rock blocking his way and leaving only a sliver of light and air. "No! Damn you!" he yelled. He got desperate. Everything was collapsing around him. He looked behind and saw that the way back was already blocked. He had to get out of there before the tunnel completely collapsed, he could tell he had no more than twenty seconds before the roof crashed completely on top of him. He sank his feet into the ground as hard as he could, pressed his shoulders against the rock and pushed with everything he had, like there was nothing else in the world but him and that rock. He concentrated, closing his eyes, willing it to budge and making every muscle scream and every fiber in his being push.

"MOVE, you worthless piece of earth" he roared. "I will not die here. MOVE!"

His heart rushed, his head hurt and his arms were numb from the effort but even so, with a tremendous tug in his stomach, he gave an almighty shove and the rock gave way. He fell out of the opening into another room, landing hard on white marble floor. Behind him, there was a great rumble and the tunnel collapsed completely, causing some rocks and dust to fall into the room Liam had entered.

Liam lay on the ground for a while, panting, exhausted. "Ha haaaa!" he shouted with absolute triumph, "yeaaah! In your face, mountain!" He laughed for a few seconds on the floor, with absolute sunny happiness at being alive.

"Well done, hero" a voice said behind him.

Liam quickly got up and saw who was speaking. He had fallen into a circular room, made completely of marble with no windows but well lit with the same, bright orange, torches. The person who had spoken was a beautiful woman. She had brown hair, stern eyes and delicate features and she stood at the other end of the room between two wooden doors.

"Who are you?" asked Liam. She didn't seem armed or violent but he was too tired to pose much of challenge in a fight, especially if she was as good as the _Castra Roma _girls had been.

"I am Roma" she said. "I am the goddess of the city of Rome and the Roman state as a whole. I am the patron, I guess you could say, of _Castra Roma _and my power contributes to guarding its borders. I am one of the judges that shall determine your entry into camp".

"OK" said Liam slowly. "You are a goddess. I've seen weirder things this week. What do you want?"

"You have proven your courage, young hero" she answered. "Most would have turned back inside that tunnel, the possibility of reaching your goal was minimal, if you had hesitated even for a second longer than you did, you would have died. Now, I have come to test your loyalty".

"All right" said Liam feeling rather pleased with himself. "What kind of test is it going to be?"

"A choice" she answered simply. "I offer you a choice between the two doors behind me. The decision you make will tell me where your loyalties lie and how you build your priorities".

"Ok" answered Liam. "Soo.. what's behind door N° 1?" he said in his best TV host voice. "A brand new car?"

Roma's face was so serious Liam felt ashamed.

"The door on my left will lead you to Percy and Jamie. You have known these teenagers for two months now, befriended them and spent time with each of them. But now, Percy claims never to have seen you before and, in time, I believe you will find there is much more to his amnesia than you think. Jamie, on the other hand, favors Percy over yourself, something which I think you already know. However, they are good and worthy heroes and they are destined to embark in a dangerous quest that will affect us all. If you choose the door on the left your destiny will become intertwined with theirs and you will be there to help them. You might even shift the balance in their favor, I do not know".

"Easy choice, it seems" interrupted Liam. "What's behind door N° 2?"

"Your mother" answered Roma. "When news of your disappearance reached London, she became frantic and it caused a great scandal in your family. The mortal authorities believe you are dead and are currently searching for your body in the sea and along the coast where you fell. However, most experts have told your family that they believe the currents would have carried you out to sea and that you will never be found. It has been two days. Your grandfather and your mother have become bitter and are now fighting over blame and responsibility. I believe it will not be long before your mother is disowned and the title appointed to one of your uncles, depriving her, and you, from your inheritance. If you choose the door on the right you will go to her and the rift in your family may yet be resolved".

"So I have to choose" asked Liam, dumbfounded "between my friends and my family?"

"Yes and no" said Roma. "You will not lose either of them permanently or totally. If you choose to join your friends you will contact your mother eventually and she will know you live and your grandfather as well. If you choose your mother you will not lose your friendship with Percy and Jamie. What is at stake is the opportunity. Choose your mother and you will be left out of _Castra Roma_ and you will lose the chance to be with your friends when they face their destiny. Choose your friends and you will not lose your family but you will fail to return in time to stop a dreadful and perhaps permanent division in your family. Where do your loyalties lie, Liam? Choose wisely".

Liam stared at the woman. He had completely forgotten about what his family might think of his disappearance. After all, the last anyone had seen of him was when he jumped over a cliff with two other kids. She must be going insane with worry and she was blaming his grandfather for sending him there. He could solve this if he went back now and he did feel the need to protect his family. And his inheritance, he wouldn't be surprised if his mother was disinherited if he didn't go back soon. And his grandfather never went back on a decision, his late arrival wouldn't change that.

But then there was Percy and Jamie. What would become of them? Would they need him? He could shift the balance in their favor, Roma had said, but they seemed to get along fine by themselves, they were even quite powerful by themselves. Maybe he was just a fifth wheel to them.

He looked at the doors and thought hard. It wasn't just about who he was loyal to, his loyalty was to both of them and they were coming into conflict. On one hand, his mom, who had sacrificed everything for him and, on the other, his friends that might need him in the future. He hesitated, he had never expected loyalties to come into conflict.

Roma just looked at him intently as if she could follow his thoughts, waiting for him to choose. Then, Liam realized something, Roma was playing with him, there was no conflict, not really.

"I choose the door on your left" he said finally. "Take me to my friends".

"Why?" asked Roma. "Why do you choose your friends over your family?"

Liam smiled. "That is a trick question" he answered. "I thought you were making me choose between them, to choose one loyalty over the other, but that's not right. The choice is not really between my mother and my friends but between my friends and my title. When my mother finds out I'm alive she'll be happy and relieved and my grandfather as well. If we try, we can always rebuild our relationship, even if it costs me my title. The things at stake by choosing my friends are only material: nobility, money, power, things that are not that important, not if you face them against friendship, companionship and loyalty. By choosing my title I would lose those things, permanently, even if I get to see Percy and Jamie every once in a while. I choose the door on the left".

Roma smiled. "Well done, my young hero. Go on and welcome to _Castra Roma". _

Jamie felt scared as she walked down her tunnel, heading deeper into the mountain. The torches lining the walls burned with an eerie purple light that made her nervous but not nearly as much as the absolute silence that reigned in the corridor and the knowledge that no one could come and help her if something went wrong.

She kept on walking for what seemed like hours, going further into an endless tunnel. Jamie thought she might as well stop and rest for a second, when suddenly all of the torches turned off and she was immersed in darkness so absolute she thought she might have gone blind. She couldn't see anything, not her own hands in front of her face or her body beneath her. And that wasn't the only problem, along with her sight she seemed to have lost all of her other senses too. There was nothing to be heard, no wind, no movement, no rocks falling to the ground or insects crawling up the walls. Nothing to be heard, except her thoughts. And even her sense of smell had deserted her, even the damp decaying stench of the tunnel had disappeared into nothingness, as if it had never been there.

Jamie felt trapped, like in a small room with no windows slowly shrinking around her. The darkness was so complete it seemed to envelop her, to make everything disappear so that she didn't even know if she was in the mountain, she could be anywhere, she could be nowhere at all. The only thing real to her anymore, beside herself, was the ground under her feet. Desperate for something else to touch, she reached to the side hoping to grasp the wall of the tunnel and feel something real, something to hold on to and guide her.

It wasn't there. She walked a bit further, maybe she'd miscalculated and the wall was just a few more steps forward. Nothing. A knot formed in her stomach and her throat clenched. She walked in the opposite direction, hoping to find the other wall of the tunnel. After walking for a minute with her hands outstretched in front of her, and even running a bit in desperation, she didn't find anything. It was as if the tunnel had disappeared and she had been left standing in the middle of a huge vacuum with no walls, standing in absolute darkness.

Jamie just stood there, paralyzed. She walked one way, and then the other, trying to find any landmark, any place to say, here I am, but she just stretched her hands in the darkness and found nothing. After a while, she lost all sense of time and direction. She had no idea how long she'd been in the darkness or where she was going, she could be going back for all she knew or heading somewhere inside the mountain she didn't want to be. She stopped walking and sat on the floor, and started to cry softly. This was not what she had expected from a test of courage, she had thought there would be an actual challenge, a jump or fight or decision she could just take with her eyes closed and with determination and thereby pass the test. But this endless wandering in the dark had no point, no solution and she felt like she was going insane, having only her thoughts to keep her company.

She kept on going, for minutes, maybe hours. As she walked, a feeling of dread kept growing inside her, convincing her that she would never get out of the invisible maze that was that place and leaving her utterly hopeless. It wasn't just the darkness, it was the certainty that she was completely alone, the fact that she was unable to sense anything, not sounds or smells or to feel something other than the earth below her, and what was worse, the conviction that kept getting stronger with every step, that there was nothing she could do, that she was absolutely powerless to do anything, that she'd be stuck there forever. Jamie felt like lying down and crying and simply giving up.

"Do not despair, child" spoke a voice in the darkness. Jamie turned around violently but the complete darkness prevented her from recognizing anyone and she could not tell where the voice had come from, it seemed to be all around her.

"Who is it?" she spoke into the darkness. "Who are you?

"You will come to know me very well, in time" the voice answered. "Right now, know I am here to help you pass this test. It is important that you do. The way out of the darkness is before you, you just need to realize it, like you realized the entrance into the mountain".

"I don't know!" yelled Jamie. "There is nothing here! If you really want to help me, tell me, do you know which way I ought to go?"

"Well" the voice said slowly and meaningfully "that depends a good deal on where you want to get to".

"I don't care where!" yelled Jamie, in frustration.

"Then it doesn't really matter which way you go…" started the voice.

"So long as I get _somewhere_…" finished Jamie. "So it doesn't actually matter if I'm lost, as long as I'm moving?" she asked "That's the answer? Come on, give me a break".

There was no answer. Jamie screamed her throat sore into the blackness that surrounded her but the mysterious voice seemed to have said its piece and vanished into the nothingness the room was made of. What had it wanted to tell her? The advice had made no sense, it had told her nothing on how to pass the stupid test, it had only told her to keep walking, something she could've done on her own. The test, she thought. Why was the test doing this to her? If she was supposed to be proving her courage, the room should test her with a monster or jumping off a cliff, or having to save someone in danger, risking her own life.

Then what was the room testing her for? If it was testing for courage, then it wasn't the old fashioned movie style bravery where you jump out and save the innocents from the evil men. Sure, thought Jamie, one could be courageous by doing dangerous things, jumping out of trains, chasing around people with a gun. But maybe what she was being tested for, maybe true courage wasn't just in the grand heroic actions. One could see different forms of courage every day, and in purer, simpler forms. Like the kid that stands up to the bully again and again even though he knows he's gonna get beaten up, or the mother that decides to raise a child alone even though she knows how hard it's going to be and the sacrifices she would have to make, when she could simply give the kid up. They did not have to fight or jump or risk their lives to be brave, but still that was exactly what they were.

In the middle of the dark, Jamie smiled. The test was not for grandstanding or battle, it was testing for one of the very core aspects of courage, one that was neglected and never taught and rarely made it into an action movie. Perseverance. To continue doing something you know is right without regard to failure, criticism and the sacrifice it can imply. The room was testing her resolve, her determination to keep going even when the darkness made her feel like she didn't exist. She would only fail this test if she gave up.

So she started to walk again. It didn't matter which way she was going, or how long it would take, she just had to keep going on and on into the darkness. She got tired, her legs and arms started to ache and even her neck started to get tense, yelling for her to stop, to rest, to give up and go back home. She didn't care. She'd realized she would never leave this room if she would give up, just like she would never accomplish anything in life if she let herself be defeated the second she encountered trouble or faced a problem she couldn't understand. There was no telling who that voice had belonged to, but she was thankful it had come when it did, it had made her see.

At long last, after hours of traveling, when Jamie's legs were feeling numb and she felt like she'd walked for miles, her foot crashed into something. There was a slope ahead of her. Nothing else had changed but Jamie felt like jumping into the air and shouting. In the absolute darkness anything new was worth celebrating. So she started to go up, motivated by her triumph. But again, it felt like she was climbing the whole mountain to the very top, the slope went on and on never endingly and she actually had to crouch on her knees and keep going, for the steepness of it and the exhaustion she was feeling.

And then the floor leveled and she tripped over a rock, falling face first into the ground. As she stood up she raised her hand and touched something, a wall. She reached to the other side and found another wall. She had tripped into a corridor. She groped around for a few seconds and she found a door. The second she put her hand on it, there was a small flash and a thousand torches were lit, all around the corridor and behind her. She went back to the edge of the slope and saw the place where she had been.

It was a huge amphitheatre, shaped like a circle several miles wide in diameter, surrounded by a huge slope, at the top of which she now stood. Jamie had no idea where she had entered the room from, because there was no entrance but she could see her footsteps all over the place and all around the circle. She had been travelling lost for hours in every direction possible and had probably walked several miles. She had been lucky too, the slope could lead you to a dead end and force you to go around the perimeter of the circle. She had found the exit just after reaching the top.

She turned around and, as she walked to the door and opened it, she thought she heard a voice whisper, "well done, child" behind her. When she turned, there was no one there. Jamie opened the door.

Hey everyone. I'm afraid I won't get to finish this chapter before the holidays. Work is kind of insane and tomorrow night I'm taking the trip I mentioned before. I'll finish this after Easter and start chapter 8 in _Castra Roma, _if they pass the remaining tests. Who knows.

Anyway, Happy Easter.

WPR


	8. Chapter 8  Jamie's Test of Loyalty

Hi everyone. I'm back. Sorry for the long wait but I was out of town and completely incommunicado. I've just finished this chapter and I really like it, even though it's rather short. Let me know what you think !

The room Jamie entered was like nothing she could ever have imagined. It was a cave, a magnificent cave, tall as a cathedral and wide as a football stadium, making a perfect circle around her. The cave's walls were a deep black, like they were made of obsidian, but they were lined with crystals that shone and twinkled at her with pure white light, as if someone had brought down all the stars from the sky to illuminate the heart of the mountain. They filled the room with an otherworldly glow that warmed Jamie from the inside, making her feel like she could lie down and stare at them forever, if only she could stay.

From the sides of the cave there flowed two rivers, one to the right of the door Jamie had entered from and the other to her left, each ninety degrees around the circle, as if they entered from the southern and eastern points in a compass. The rivers would have met in the middle of the cave were it not for the great structure that dominated the centre of the room. It was another circle, concentric to the outer shell of the cave and inside this second sphere Jamie saw a collection of pools and canals of water, forming the most complicated labyrinth imaginable. There was one pool after another; opening up in such a way that they were all connected and water could flow freely from one end of the inner circle to the other.

The rivers crashed into the edge of the inner circle and the water cascaded and overflowed from one pool to the next, fanning out and filling them all, one by one, so that, if someone looked from above, they would see a perfect circular lake made of thousands of spots of water. The river that came in from the southern tip of the room pushed to the north and the one that entered from the east pushed to the west so that they filled every pool in the circle before reforming themselves and exiting at the exact opposite end of the room, flowing again into the side of the mountain.

Jamie walked around for a few minutes, looking at the ceiling and at the great maze of pools with wonder. As she approached the edge of the inner circle she saw that there were two bridges which rose and spanned the distance between the four pieces of land made by the rivers. They met in the center of the room making a crossroads overlooking the whole structure, allowing anyone who walked over them to watch the pools from above. The entrance to the first bridge was right in front of Jamie so she walked towards it and began to make her way up to the very centre of the room.

While she walked, Jamie looked into the pools below the bridge and watched the water swirling inside them. After a few steps she gasped and stared intently. An image had appeared on a pool below her and she watched as figures formed on the water's surface and a scene started to play, like she was watching an old movie, with color but without sound. Jamie recognized the events that started to unfold in the water, it was a scene from her early childhood, showing an afternoon when her class had a picnic at school for Mother's Day with every parent invited and she had first realized her mother wasn't there and that she wanted to know why. Jamie remembered that day with sadness because his dad hadn't been able to give her a proper explanation and she had long remembered that afternoon as the first time her dad had really failed her.

As she watched, entranced by the sudden memory, all the pools started to come to life and inside every single one, images started to appear, visions that shone briefly before fading away. Jamie continued to walk along the bridge, watching scenes and events from her past, from her own life, even her most private and secret moments. She saw the day she had fought with her dad about the identity of her mother, the first time she was expelled from school and the morning she had met Percy and Liam, one in quick succession after the other. The images never lasted more than a few seconds before they shimmered and showed some new scene, some old memory but there was a common thread to all of them, every memory she saw was meaningful, they were the primary events of her life, those that had shaped her.

Jamie felt as if the room held all her life in the water flowing underneath her and that it was showing her a slideshow presentation of who she was and why. She kept on walking, watching the pools with fascination and trying to absorb as much information as she could. She soon realized that, even though she was in every picture and scene, she didn't know all of them. Some occurred when she was very little and showed memories she didn't remember anymore, whilst others seemed to be when she was older and showed things that were yet to happen. Jamie searched for these last ones intensely, trying to catch a glimpse of her future, of what was meant to be. Later on, she would wish she had never looked at any of them, for all the nights of sleep they cost her. In one pool she saw herself standing before a giant who threatened her with a sword while Liam lay unconscious on the floor; in another she travelled a frozen landscape with Percy, Liam and some other kids, while monsters watched them from the snow and rocks, invisible but ready for an ambush. And then, as she reached the middle of the bridge, she saw a pool that chilled her blood and made her want to run away.

Jamie saw herself, clad in golden armor, holding a long spear and a large square shield and standing at the front of a great army which spread out behind her. Her forces were made up of teenagers and kids, magical beasts and creatures, all standing in an orderly fashion, dressed like Roman soldiers, praetors and centurions, looking firm and ready for battle. They brandished golden swords and spears, bows and axes and they shouted battle cries into the air, fearless and daring, looking eager and ready to fight for their lives.

The army stood proud in the middle of large, dark and barren plain, next to a wide stone arch, which held an engraving that read "_Relinquo spes totus vos quisnam penetro__". _Somehow, Jamie understood that to mean "Abandon all hope, ye who enter" and she recognized the inscription. Her father had once told her that, when some people died, their spirit reached an arch where they were received by that inscription and a guide that led them on to hell, a place where hope was no longer available or even worth having.

Liam was standing next to her with a sad look on his face and wearing the uniform of a Roman soldier, complete with a short golden sword in his hand and a bow slung across his back. On her other side there was a blond boy she had never seen before, standing just a few steps ahead of the army, clearly the leader of the Legion. He also wore battle garments and golden weapons, but he looked depressed, as if he were holding the weight of the sky on his shoulders and he knew his strength was about to fail him. He gazed to the horizon at a mass moving slowly towards them.

Across the plain, another army approached. Teenagers, kids and other mythical and magical creatures marched steadily in their direction, whilst pegasi soared the air above them and catapults were pushed alongside them. As the opposing force neared Jamie's position, they brandished their own weapons, deadly swords, spears and axes made of bronze shone across the plain, glinting with the reddish hue of copper and the promise of a furious battle. Banners depicting owls, boars, hammers, eagles and doves appeared and divided the enemy troops and signaled the divisions they'd be fighting. The army continued marching until they were five hundred feet away from the Roman forces before stopping, just outside of range from the enemy bows.

Jamie looked at both armies and realized they were evenly matched. If they fought, as it seemed inevitable they would, the battle would only end in the mutual annihilation of both forces, hundreds, maybe thousands of kids and magical beings dead. Jamie stared at the forces rallied before her future self, trying to figure out who and why they were fighting. The enemy forces parted to let someone pass through to the front, and a teenager came out to lead the opposing army into war. He looked like an eighteen year old and he wore full bronze battle armor while he held a bronze sword in his right hand and a great plumed helmet on his head.

It was Percy. But he had changed. He no longer seemed like the good natured and funny guy she liked, there was no hint of humor behind his eyes, of the kindness he gave everyone or the simplicity he showed to those around him. He looked grim and haunted, but Jamie saw something worse in his eyes, something she had never expected to see and which left her terrified. Rage. There was nothing but blind anger in his face, a murderous look that spoke only of revenge. He took something from his neck and Jamie saw that he was holding a small pendant of an owl. Inside it, there was the picture of a beautiful blonde girl. Percy looked at the piece of jewelry in his hand for a couple of seconds, kissed it and stored it as a bead on his necklace. Turning around, he gave one last look straight at Jamie before he let out an almighty roar into the black sky, raised his sword, and led his army into a furious charge.

Standing from the bridge, Jamie knew that moment would change the world forever and that it had to be stopped. Not only for the bloodshed and disaster it would cause, but also to spare Percy. The pain she had seen in him was more than he could bear; somehow someone had broken him on the inside. She looked at the pools for an answer, hoping to see how they had reached that point, how she had managed to find herself standing across a battlefield from Percy, and therefore, how to prevent it. But the images shimmered and disappeared, leaving her watching her own reflection.

With a sigh and wiping a tear from her eye, she broke out of her reverie and walked to the middle of the crossroads made by the two bridges. There, she was sure she would meet her next challenge and have her loyalty tested like she'd had her faith and her courage taken to their breaking point. Several seconds passed by. Jamie heard the water beneath her starting to swirl with more and more intensity as if the rivers were increasing in speed and volume or as if her memories were revolving and moving with more power. Mist started to rise from the pools beneath her, first in soft lines of smoke but quickly becoming a thick tangible, living entity that surrounded her and blocked off everything from sight. The crossroads were absorbed by the mist, making a white wall over the bridges and doming over Jamie's head, so that there was nothing in the world except for the choices the crossroads offered and herself. The mist started to swirl around her like a great storm and the images from her life flashed on its surface too fast for the eye to follow. She saw faces, moments, gestures, all turning and mixing in the mist like her whole life was being fused together in a hurricane around her.

Then, out of the mist, a figure appeared along the path to her right. It was her dad and he looked like he was in pain. The second he appeared, his knees buckled and he spat some blood, soaking his white shirt. He fell to the ground and tried to pick himself up but failed, only managing to rest his body against the side of the bridge. He saw her.

"Jamie?" he asked sounding completely bewildered. "What are you, I saw… I saw, monsters… I…" He tried to stand but doubled over in pain and fell to the ground again. "We need to get out of here" he said, desperately. "You have no idea… the things I've seen. We need to go now. I saw something horrible..."

Jamie stared at him, terrified. He seemed to be absolutely distraught, traumatized by something he had seen, but how had he come here, to the middle of a mountain when he was supposed to be working in Los Angeles? Jamie was about to make her way to help him when another figure appeared on the path to her left. She turned around quickly and saw that it was Liam. He had his back to her and he looked pretty bad. There was blood flowing along his side and his jeans were torn, as well as his T-shirt. He was fighting a monster on the bridge, another chimera, bigger and more ferocious than the one that attacked them in San Francisco. He retreated hastily jumping and dodging but barely managing to stop the monster from killing him. It didn't look like he would last long.

"Jamie!" yelled Liam. "Please! Help me! I can't kill it alone!" He dodged a swipe from one the claws and then another. "Come on!" he tried again, a tone of desperation edging his voice.

"Jamie, no" said her father. "I can't get up, help me stand. We need to leave this place now, come with me! You don't understand!"

Jamie hesitated. Before she had another instant to choose, a third figure appeared in the path that sank into the mist in front of her. At first, it was hard to tell who it was, but then, her outline cleared and Jamie recognized the girl standing before her.

It was the beautiful blonde whose picture Percy had kissed before charging into battle. Jamie felt a small pang of jealousy, the girl was gorgeous and she obviously was, or in the future would be, incredibly important to Percy. She looked at Jamie out of intense gray eyes and they held each other's gaze for a few seconds. She then drew a bronze knife from a sheath in her belt and threw it on the ground where it stuck and trembled at Jamie's feet. The mist opened up behind the blonde girl to reveal the bridge's path and, in the distance, Jamie saw two huge black hounds galloping at full speed towards them, their eyes set intently on the girl in front of her.

"Take the knife" said the blonde girl.

"Who are you? asked Jamie desperately. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I cannot make the choice for you, Jamie" she said "In the end, it will be you who decides all of our destinies. You must understand the true nature of loyalty to pass this test. Think! There is one path that will take you to _Castra Roma. _Faith, Courage, Loyalty. These are not separate and individual values. They are connected, they are meant to guide you. What does your heart tell you? You must choose only one path".

"Jamie, don't listen to her" whispered her father. "You don't know who she is. Help me up, there are things I have to tell you, things you have to know. I... I will tell you who your mother is, but please, come with me".

Jamie felt an electric shock at her father's words. Her mother. She could find out who she is, finally, after years of asking. Jamie started to take a step when Liam yelled from the other side of the bridge. "Jamie what are you waiting for!" he screamed. "I can't hold it for much longer! Aaah!" The chimera caught him on the side and he flew and crashed to the floor. He managed to stand again but it was obvious the battle would be over soon, he could barely walk.

The blonde girl turned around and drew a bronze sword, prepared to meet the huge black dogs. In a flash they reached her and pounced with incredible force. She dodged like a hunted deer and engaged in a furious battle. Jamie realized the girl was a fantastic fighter but, in close quarters against these hounds, she would not last for long.

"Jamie, there's no time" insisted her father.

"Help me!" yelled Liam.

"Choose!" shouted the blonde girl. "Choose NOW!"

Jamie screamed. In a flash she bent down and grabbed the bronze knife from the floor and went straight ahead, towards the blonde girl. She jumped onto the back of one of the black hounds and sank the knife deep into its hide. The beast dissolved into dust and the blonde girl used the opportunity to stab the other hound on its side.

Crying, Jamie turned around to her father and her friend but they were no longer there. There was no one there. The mist started to lift, leaving only an empty crossroads, Jamie and the blond girl. She approached her and took the knife from her. Jamie sat on the floor and cried. She had left Liam and her dad to die and for what, to save a girl she didn't even know, who she wasn't even loyal to. She had failed, she would never reach _Castra Roma, _never see Liam or Percy again.

"That is not true".

Jamie turned around. "What?"

"You have not failed" said the girl, "you have proven your loyalty in the greatest of ways, you have passed the test".

"But I left them, my dad, Liam. I'm not loyal, I abandoned them".

"But why?" asked the girl. "Why did you save _me_ and not your friend? Why did you leave your father, injured, when he was offering the information you have long hoped for?"

"I… I don't know" Jamie stammered. "It felt right, I had to…"

"You will understand, in time" said the blonde girl. "Your heart was in the right place, even if your head doesn't know it yet. Saving me showed you were loyal not to anyone in particular, not even to Percy, but to _something _greater, something more important than anything else, even your own desires and the pain it would cause you. Loyalty doesn't always have a person as its object, it can be a cause, a belief, even just a better future".

Jamie continued to cry on the floor. She wasn't convinced.

"Remember the lesson you have learned today" finished the girl. "You will be tested again, when the stakes are much higher and your decision will define everything. But for now, go and enter _Castra Roma. _You have faced the hardest test I have ever given anyone, except perhaps one other young hero, and you will be welcomed at camp as a worthy warrior. Goodbye, Jamie Bell. I will see you again".

And with that, the blonde girl faded into mist and beyond the bridge a wooden door appeared. Jamie walked towards it and, after a pause to clean the tears from her face, she opened it and walked into bright sunlight.

Hoped you liked it. Next Chapter, Percy's tests, which will be sweet. I don't know what they'll be yet, but I have a couple of good ideas. Please review!

Side note. A reviewer left a comment saying gods are only 20 feet tall max. I didn't actually check the heights while writing but I guessed they can make themselves as tall as they want and, back in the old days, why not be 50 feet tall.


	9. Chapter 9 Roman tests and Greek demigods

**Hi guys. First of all, thanks to all reviewers, especially to bornlucky101, wisegirl77 and .star.x who have been reviewing regularly and positively. Also to Katherine who gave me a spectacular review. Please keep it up, reviews are the motivation to continue writing and plus, you need to let me know if I mess up. I enjoy writing and this is actually my first fic. I started tentatively, to see if I'd get any readers and the first chapters weren't as detailed as they could have been. I'm working on it now and I want to make the story the best I can, so any criticism or pointers are welcome. **

**This is the last part before **_**Castra Roma. **_**I'm really sorry for the very late update, I had a complete writer's block on Percy's chapter and things at work and school got complicated. Coming up with the challenge was hard and it ended up being reaaally long. Anyway, Hope you like it.**

**P.S. there is a Winston Churchill and a Maya Angelou quote in this chapter. **

**Chapter 9 – Roman tests and Greek demigods**

The tunnel Percy went down was very different from what you would expect for the inside of a dark and lonely mountain. Instead of being lit with candles or torches, the hallway was lined with hundreds of tiny orbs that emitted a faint blue hue of light that moved backwards and forwards, filling the room with the luminescence some forms jellyfish give out in the depths of the ocean or that pearls may contain when they lay undisturbed under the sea. The soft lighting and the switching and twitching of the shades of blue made Percy feel like he were walking underwater, as if he were travelling a corridor that delved through the depths of the sea, decorated by pearls meant to guide him forward.

The tunnel filled Percy with a feeling of familiarity and comfort that soothed his nerves and replenished his strength, so that he didn't feel tired anymore. It was almost like being at home. However, at the same time, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach, made up mostly of loneliness and mixed in with worry. He was leaving his friends behind. Friends who might need his help and who might not be prepared to face the challenges put before them. They had proven to be brave and trustworthy so far, but they had absolutely no training and he had a feeling that the tests they were about to face would be heart wrenching. What if they didn't make it?

The thought made Percy feel absolutely empty. It wasn't just that he wanted to help them, that he felt the need to see them through their challenges, there was also the fact that they were the only ones who knew anything about him. They were his only friends. As far as he was aware, there was no one else in the world that he could count upon. As far as his memory went, Jamie and Liam had been with him every step of the way, for his entire existence, and this was the very first time he had ever been truly alone. The thought that his friends might not make it without his help and that he might have to go on to _Castra Roma_ alone was simply unbearable, so much in fact, that he was actually tempted to go back on his tunnel and look for them so that he could offer his help.

Lost in thought, Percy didn't notice that his tunnel had widened greatly, so that he no longer stood in the middle of a narrow corridor. His feet started to sink slightly as he walked sedately into a stone ring filled with sand. Percy looked around and saw that he was standing in the middle of a circle surrounded by stone stands for people to watch and cheer from, like a coliseum where gladiators fight for the entertainment of others. Along the edges of the ring there were archways, one after the other, all around the rim of the circle. Water cascaded from the roof of each of them, making a curtain of water, past which Percy couldn't see a thing but through which he could feel another tunnel, leading deep into the mountain. He wondered which one he would have to take and if the choice were part of the test he was supposed to face.

Percy walked around the circle, passing his hand through some of the curtains of water, wondering what was behind each one, and if he would have to take one of them to get to his next test. He made a full turn around the circle, before returning to the very start, to the doorway he had entered from. Then, on the edge opposite him, a figure appeared through one of the curtains of water. It was a tall man, with black hair, deep black eyes and the stance of a king. The guy was extremely good looking, like a movie star would be, and he was dressed for war. However, his garments were a confusing mixture, as if someone had switched Greek and Roman war garments around, before giving them to this guy. He had the traditional roman helmet, with a short _gladius _sword, but he also held a large round bronze shield and bronze body armor, typically Greek instruments of battle.

"Who are you?" asked Percy. He stood warily, his hand on his ballpoint pen, in case he'd have to use it.

The man surveyed Percy slowly, looking at him with a face full of contempt. "I am Aeneas" he answered, as if that explained everything. At Percy's blank look, he continued "I was once the first lieutenant of Hector, son of Priam, and I was a leader in the war against the infamous Greeks for the city of Troy. I escaped the merciless sacking of my city at the command of the gods and I sailed to Italy where I became the forefather of the civilization that would day become the greatest empire of all time. Rome".

"But then you died" said Percy. "Like a bajillion years ago. Why are you here?"

"I live, then and forever" answered Aeneas "in the spirit of Rome. I am one of its protectors and guardians and I am one of the judges that will determine your entrance into _Castra Roma_. But I have never come to challenge a boy with so few chances of success as you; you might as well give up now, I do not think you have what it takes to be a true Roman legionnaire".

"Why not?" asked Percy. "You don't even know anything about me!"

"I know everything about you, Perseus Jackson" said Aeneas hotly. "I know who you are and where you come from and that is why I know you are not fit to join my city, why I think you will fail my test. Are you sure you want to continue? You could die".

"You know who I am?" said Percy. "Then tell me! I really need to know, this constant blank is driving me insane. It's important too, who I am and who my parents were. Tell me!" Percy insisted. He felt exhilarated. Maybe he could even rebuild his past life, with whoever he had led it with so far.

"I cannot tell you anything" said Aeneas. "The answers you seek are forbidden. I swore an oath never to reveal that information to anybody and a command has been issued that you not be informed of the truth yet. You will have to find the answers out for yourself".

Percy felt disappointed, and angry. This guy knew everything and he wasn't telling because of some stupid oath, and that simply wouldn't do. He was about to protest, when Aeneas cut him off completely.

"There is absolutely no point in insisting, Percy" he said. "I will tell you nothing and you cannot force me into answering. Besides, we are not here to discuss your past, we are here to test your courage and determine your entrance into camp. As we speak, your friends are facing their respective challenges and proving their valor. They are not having an easy time of it, I have never seen Roma give children such vicious trials, they'll be lucky if they survive. And, seeing that, we will have to raise the bar for you as well, won't we?"

Percy tensed and anger rose in him like a snake out of tall grass.

"Fine!" he said, madly. "Bring your tests on. Fuight me! Or bring in your monsters to fight for you, I don't care! But promise that when I'm done, you will take me to see my friends".

Aeneas laughed. "Typical" he said quietly. "You think courage is only about taking out your sword and killing. A Cyclops, a hellhound or even _me_. The gall of it". Aeneas frowned at him and looked frustrated. "There is so much more to courage, to true valor, Percy, and your kind never takes the time to think about it, to discipline it and learn it. You will fail and everything will be lost if you don't understand. It is time you proved if you really have courage, not just rash thoughtlessness. Come with me".

Aeneas turned around and walked to the gateway he had come from. Percy followed him to the edge of the circle and through one of the curtains of water. He expected it to lead into a tunnel that would delve deeper into the mountain and to some new underground challenge so he walked purposefully through and felt as the clear and cold liquid flowed down his back, refreshing him.

But Percy was absolutely stunned when he stepped to the other side of the small waterfall. He was suddenly standing not inside a tunnel or a dark corridor but on a green field on the side of a forest. Blinding sunlight dazzled him and the drowning heat of summer hit him with force making Percy blink and stumble for a few seconds before he was able to take in his surroundings.

He had come out in front of a small archway, at the very edge of a ridge that overlooked a small river. Ordinarily, it would have been a beautiful setting, with the river flowing quietly into a great forest, coming down from an enormous plain made up of tall grass. Except the view had been utterly ruined, in such a terrible and lasting way that the landscape would forever be marked by the collective memory of what had happened there. As Percy watched the events below him, he realized that if someone were ever to pass by that place, even if they never knew what had happened there or even cared, they would feel the gravity of the events that had occurred and be affected by them.

It was a furious and bloody battle. A small war even, waged without pause or quarter in the field and the forest below him. There were teenagers from two armies, one side dressed in red armor, the other in blue, fighting with absolute fearlessness and devotion, like the entire world depended on the outcome of the battle they were engaged in. The armies brandished swords and spears and they had violently met in the plain of tall grass next to the forest. However, the battle had soon splintered into many small groups of red and blue fighting in miniature engagements all over the field. The magnitude of the battle was such that the whole horizon was marked by small skirmishes and duels, as far the eye could see. There was fighting on either edge of the river, in the forest, in the plains, on bridges over the river and even in the sky, where flocks of pegasi converged against each other in violent crashes.

Hundreds of blazing boulders flew through the sky without pause, launched from catapults and lit on fire, making the heavens looked striped, as if they naturally alternated between clear blue sky and black and red lines of fire. The missiles curved high in the air before falling in a blazing inferno at the heart of enemy troops, causing devastation upon their ranks and creating wildfires that spread here and there, up and down the plain and inside the forest. Bodies lay strewn across the ground. Teenagers and magical creatures alike, dead or dying, lay among the tall grass or between the trees, and some floated down the river to be driven out to sea where no one would ever find them again.

Percy looked aghast at the battle. "What is this?" he asked Aeneas. "Where have you brought me?"

Aeneas looked somber as he watched the battle unfold below him, like he was remembering things. "We are standing on a place called Culp's Hill in Pennsylvania" he answered. "But the important question is not where we are, young man, but when. I have taken you to one of the most important days in our common history. Today is July 2nd, 1863. It is the second day of-

"The Battle of Gettysburg" finished Percy. "The most bloody battle in the American Civil War. But there's something wrong here. Those aren't Confederate and Union troops, these are kids, fighting with swords and magical weapons. Who are they? Why are they fighting? Why are showing me this?"

"One side is _Castra Roma" _answered Aeneas._ "_My people, my soldiers. The other side is perhaps our greatest and most despised enemy. A disorganized but powerful force. But who you fight will have to remain a mystery and that is also part of this test. You cannot ask".

"Then why am I here?" said Percy. "If you're not going to let me find anything out, what's the point?"

"You are not here to learn something for yourself, Percy. You're here to prove something to _me"_ said Aeneas. "You're going to join the war for the Romans and prove your courage on the battlefield".

"But you just said true courage wasn't about fighting! If it's not about war then how I can I prove my courage through battle?"

Aeneas simply smiled and said "that is for you to figure out, young man". He then made a sweeping movement with his hand and Percy's clothes changed. Red armor appeared over his body, with a Roman helmet, a large square shield and a _gladius _sword in his right hand. His regular clothes, his watch, and his ballpoint pen all disappeared, leaving Percy feeling completely naked and unprotected. Percy noticed that the emblem on his shield was a warrior that looked very much like Aeneas himself, and Percy stared at him for a second, wondering.

"This is the uniform of a Roman soldier" said Aeneas. "The uniform of the army you hope to join by passing these challenges. One that you are currently unfit for. If you walk down the path beyond that oak, you will reach the edge of the forest and the Roman command centre. There, I have made sure that no one will doubt your identity, even though they won't know you. Look for the praetor and she will give you a mission. That will be your test. Carry out the mission your praetor gives you. Do not hesitate, do not stop, and most importantly, do not ask absolutely any questions. I will use this mission to test both your courage and your loyalty. You will have to trust your leaders fully, under complete ignorance of who you are fighting and why. I know you can lead, Percy, show me that you can follow. You have to show me you can be loyal and brave without knowing anything about your orders, other than the fact that you have to follow them. By sundown, I will know if you are good enough for _Castra Roma_. Good luck, Perseus Jackson".

"Wait!" Percy shouted. "Before you go, I need to know. Are we really in 1863, or is this all just in my head?"

Aeneas chuckled for a second and simply said "does it really matter?" before he disappeared through the archway, leaving Percy alone and standing over the crudest battle he had ever seen. With resignation and some temper, he trotted over to the oak Aeneas had pointed to and he climbed down a winding goat path. It led in a zigzag down the face of the ridge and made its way to the middle of the forest. There, he continued down a small forest path, as he heard flaming boulders land around him, the muffled yells of warriors and the clash of gold on bronze in the distance. After a while, he reached the edge of the forest and, just like Aeneas had told him, the Roman war centre loomed up before him close to the edge, tall and proud.

Percy walked purposefully towards it, hoping he was showing the confidence of someone returning home, rather than the insecurity of a stranger walking into a camp full of hostile warriors. He hadn't taken more than ten steps past the camp's borders before he was stopped by a group of four soldiers. They looked exhausted and their clothes were bloody, like they had just returned from the front line of battle. The second they spotted him, one of them ran towards him and grabbed his arm in an iron grip.

"You!" he spoke in a hoarse voice. "Do you come from the eastern flank? Did you see Jennifer? Is she all right?"

The guy looked a little bit crazy and Percy didn't know what to say without revealing he had no idea what the guy was talking about. He settled for a half truth. "No, I'm sorry" he said quickly. "I haven't been anywhere near the eastern flank, I haven't seen her at all".

The guy looked devastated. He murmured "oh, all right" and trudged slowly back to his group of friends, who patted him on the back and gave him some words of comfort.

"Don't judge him too harshly" said a voice behind him. Percy turned around quickly and saw a girl standing behind him. She had caramel brown hair, which came down to her shoulders, and light brown eyes, with a small pointed nose and a cute smile. She also wore some symbols on her armor, probably showing her rank. "Jeremiah's simply distraught" she continued, "Jennifer's his girlfriend, and she's been missing in action since yesterday. He fears the worst, but he's one of our best warriors so Rebecca, our praetor, won't let him leave on a scouting expedition to look for her. It's been driving him insane".

"Yeah" answered Percy. "Yeah, I understand".

The girl's face darkened at his words. "I am a centurion, soldier" she said in a harsher voice. "We may be at the command centre but we are at war and you _will_ address me properly. What is your name and what is your legion?"

Percy was shocked. Again, he tried to think quickly. "I am Percy Jackson, Ma'am" he answered quickly. "And I'm new in this Legion, I just got here from _Castra Roma_. Aeneas sent me, he told me to check in with Rebecca".

"Aeneas sent you?" she asked, looking very surprised. "Oh my gods, follow me, and quickly, we're going to meet with Rebecca right now. This has to be a sign".

She walked away; heading directly for the tallest tent in the whole camp, at the top of which a red flag waved, with the shape of what he thought was Aeneas again. Percy followed her into the tent and inside they found a group of four teenagers in a furious argument over a map of the battlefield. The map itself was quite something, it was in three dimensions and it projected the position of troops and enemy movements with great accuracy.

There were two guys and two girls. The first guy reminded Percy a lot of himself, he had raven black hair and sea green eyes, but he had a much deeper tan and he was shorter than Percy, with a stockier build. He was arguing loudly, raising his voice almost to a yell at the second guy, a fierce looking teenager with red hair and black eyes who gestured dramatically as he spoke, moving his hands up and down the map. Then, there was a blond girl, with deep gray eyes, who wasn't speaking at all but was rather watching the fight with a quiet intensity, while she seemed to be working out a plan to reconcile the fighting leaders. And then, in the middle of them all, there was a girl with black hair and light blue eyes. She was pretty but her beauty was thrown to a second plane by something that hit you the second you saw her. Authority. Command. The girl gave out a feeling of power that made Percy think he would listen to whatever she would have to say and that he would obey her orders without fear.

She looked up at the caramel-haired girl and smiled. "Julia" she said, cutting the conversation between the other leaders short. "What is the matter?"

"We have a new soldier, Rebecca" she answered. "Just arrived from camp. His name is Percy Jackson and he says Aeneas sent him to our Legion".

"Aeneas appeared to you?" asked Rebecca. "He hasn't answered any of our summonses, not even in the most desperate of moments, and now he appears to you and tells you, what exactly?"

"Not much" said Percy. "Only to come here, that you would have a mission for me, something important for the battle".

The guy with the black hair and green eyes stepped in, a look of triumph in his eyes. "That is it. Aeneas must see the danger like I have, we now have a spare soldier, we need to send him down our right flank, the reports show that they might be pushing through quietly, hoping to take us from the side".

"No!" roared the red-haired guy. "The reports are inconclusive, only footprints and partial sightings from nymphs! We need as many men as we can in the front line, we have been losing ground there! We don't even know what this guy's capable of. Who is your parent?" he asked aggressively.

"I… I don't really know" said Percy.

"Great" said the red-haired guy. "Another undetermined. And you want to send a fresh undetermined kid with no experience to scout alone? We should just send him to the front; he'll be more useful there".

The girl with the blond hair intervened then. "I disagree, Zach" she said. "Aeneas must have sent him here for a reason other than simply wanting him to die in the front line. But he can't go alone, we should send him with two other soldiers, a child of Apollo and a child of Ceres, out to our right flank. They can scout there and be back by sundown".

"You want to send three soldiers?" roared Zach. "Are you insane? I'm losing men out there!"

"Yes" said Rebecca suddenly and in a tone that sounded definitive. "This changes things. I also believe that Aeneas is giving us a sign. You will go east Percy Jackson, and scout our entire right flank. Take Julia here, daughter of Ceres, and Jeremiah, son of Apollo. He'll be thrilled to have a chance to go east and search our flank. Maybe he'll even find Jennifer. Go. Don't lose time. If you meet anybody, any of our enemies, destroy them. Leave no one standing".

The guy called Zach got so upset at her words he punched an arm stand next to the table, breaking it and throwing it to the floor. But he didn't contradict her. "I'm getting out of here" he said vehemently. "I'm going to the front line where we're needed, while you discuss scouting missions and walks in the prairie". He then huffed and walked past Percy, bumping him on the shoulder as he went by, like it was all his fault.

Percy didn't say a word. He was dead curious to ask what was going on but refrained only because of Aeneas' warning, his success in the mission was on the line. He simply nodded and said "Yes, Ma'am!" before turning around and leaving the tent, with Julia following close on his heels.

"Whooa there soldier" said Julia, grabbing his shoulder as soon as they left the tent. "I'm still the commanding officer here, you are under my orders for this mission. Go to the front door and wait for me there. I'll gather supplies and find Jeremiah, we'll leave in thirty minutes. Be ready".

Percy did as he was told and thirty minutes later, he was joined by a somber looking Julia and an excited looking Jeremiah. The guy had barely cleaned up and he was still filthy with mud and blood but he looked thrilled. Percy really hoped they would find his girlfriend, it didn't seem like he could handle it if something had happened to her.

"All right, follow me" said Julia. "Stay down and fight smart. No one engages anyone without my order. We'll head north east and then make our way south, scouting the forest a mile past the river. No one does anything stupid, no one dies. If we find anything to report, we'll call it in to camp through an Iris message. Is that clear?"

They both nodded and followed her, heading straight for the forest Percy had originally come from. They travelled for a long time in silence heading consistently north east, making as little noise as possible. At midday, they stopped for rest and to have some food, mainly some bread and some flavorless cookies Julia had packed in her bag.

After that, they continued making their way down their flank, scouting for any possible enemies. Then, as they reached a rather large stream, Percy climbed a onto a tree branch and saw them. Some two hundred feet away, following the stream, there was a small expedition of soldiers, only six of them. They had obviously travelled stealthily because they were wearing camouflage clothing and were being incredibly quiet. Somehow, they had managed to come very close to the Roman command centre completely unnoticed and they were clearly up to something. They had cut down several trees close to the stream and they were using the wood and some ropes to build what could be described as a huge ballista or catapult.

They were almost done with the construction project and it wouldn't be more than a half hour before they'd be ready to shoot it and, from that distance, to hit the Roman camp. Next to the building there were several large black jars that the soldiers were careful not to touch or move too much, like they were filled with explosives. And, what was worse, they had a prisoner. A small brunette was tied and gagged on the floor several feet away from the ballista, seemingly unconscious.

Percy motioned to Julia, so that she'd come watch and her eyes widened when she saw the small force. "Those jars are filled with Greek fire" she said, sounding terrified. "If they manage to hit camp, it'll be destroyed in minutes, and everyone there will be killed. It would throw us in disarray and, without order, it would definitely cost us this battle".

Jeremiah came over as well and he actually hissed under his breath. "They've got Jennifer" he said, and there was nothing but deadly anger in his voice. "If anything's happened to her…"

"What do we do?" asked Percy, cutting him off.

"There's no time to contact camp" said Julia. "They'll be ready to fire in a few minutes, they'll never get here in time. We need to take them out ourselves".

"Let's do this" said Jeremiah. He looked furious.

At that moment, two of the soldiers separated from the main work team and, after receiving an order, they grabbed their weapons and headed into the forest.

"They're probably going to scout their surroundings. Quick, Percy, go and take them out, they don't seem very powerful. When you're done approach their base from a north, I'll take position from the east and Jeremiah will come up from the south. We will have to hit fast and hard, before they can either shoot that ballista or get to their weapons. If you take too long Percy, we'll attack without you. Be quick about it.

"What do you mean with take them out?" asked Percy.

Julia looked at him like he was stupid. "I know this is your first day, newbie" she said. "But we are at war. You heard Rebecca. Kill them. Now go, we don't have time for this".

Percy insides twisted as he drew his sword and made his way in the direction the two soldiers had disappeared to. He wasn't sure if he could handle it, he was pretty sure he had never killed another human being, or had he? Know yourself, he thought bitterly. If only.

It wasn't long before he found the two soldiers. They were resting, leaning on a tree while they drank some water from a canteen. Percy was slightly shocked when he saw they were incredibly young. One of them was probably twelve, the other could be no older than fourteen. And they were chatting animatedly, like the kids they were, without a concern in the world.

Percy hesitated. This was wrong. He didn't even know why he was fighting these kids and he was pretty sure that none of this was their fault, they were just following orders, just like he was. But there was also the test. He had to do this or else he would never reach _Castra Roma_, he would fail Liam and Jamie, perhaps he would never see them again.

With that in mind, he waited for them to be distracted and, when he saw the older one bend down to grab something from the ground, he charged.

With a yell, he jumped out into the middle of them and hit the fourteen year old with all of his strength, straight on his helmet with the butt of his sword. Percy heard a small crack and the kid went down, a small trickle of blood running down his forehead. He then turned on his standing. The other kid, the twelve year old, looked terrified. He drew a sword from its sheath and held it in front of him, his arm trembling slightly. Percy noticed he had blue eyes and that he looked quite innocent, like this was his first day in the field, not a hardened veteran.

It took him only a couple of seconds, a jab a feint and a sure move to the hilt of the kid's sword to send his weapon flying into the woods. Percy pointed his sword at the kid's throat, and paused. The kid's eyes suddenly hardened and resignation took over his face.

"Do it, Roman" he said. Percy was shocked at the amount of bitterness the kid evoked. His voice was a croak and there was no hope in it. He was sure he would die and he had accepted it. They stayed there for a second, and Percy's hand started to tremble. He was about to kill a boy and he didn't know why.

"Why?" asked Percy, unable to contain himself. "Why are we fighting?"

The kid looked surprised. "I don't know" he said. "It's always been this way. What I do know is that it's all your fault!"

The kid then tried to move and push Percy's sword away, aiming to throw a punch at his jaw. But he didn't stand a chance. Percy sidestepped and hit the kid in the head with his sword like he had done the other soldier, sending him to the ground, unconscious. The clearing was filled with an eerie silence as Percy stood over the unconscious forms of both soldiers and wondered what to do.

He walked around them, thinking. His orders were to kill them. He was now standing over them, they were unarmed and defenseless. He could do it, in cold blood, if he had the courage for it. But he didn't, he couldn't just kill like that, for no reason. There had to be reason.

So Percy left them there and headed for the enemy encampment. He took his position north of the ballista, well hidden behind some bushes and spotted his allies in their respective positions. He was about to give Julia the signal, when suddenly a yell broke out the previous quiet.

"Alaaarm!" rang the yell all through the forest. Percy looked to his left and saw the fourteen year old running back like a madman, screaming to his fellow soldiers. He cursed, the kid wasn't as out as he had thought. "We are surrounded!" yelled the kid. "To arms! FIRE THE BALLISTA!"

Within a second Julia yelled "ATTACK! FOR ROME!"

And all hell broke loose. The soldiers building the ballista were almost ready with their preparations, but they hurriedly picked up their swords and shields, looking around desperately for their enemies. Percy ran out of his hiding place at the same time as Julia and Jeremiah charged from the east and the south. They yelled and jumped straight into the enemy encampment. But the remaining guys were very good. They were burly and strong and they formed a semi circle in the middle of the camp, around the ballista and their prisoner, protecting themselves with their shields from and protecting their weapon at the same time, whilst giving their back to the stream. Percy saw the fourteen year old kid turn and prepare to fire a jar of Greek fire towards camp, while the other four stayed their ground, ready to face them.

He roared and engaged the two guys on the right edge, whilst Julia fought the guy in the middle and Jeremiah took care of the guy on the left. Percy dodged a spear thrust to his face, caught the shaft between his sword and his shield and broke it. The guy looked surprised and Percy used the opening to bash him with his shield, throwing him into the stream.

The other soldier yelled and slashed with his sword. Percy parried and stepped back. The guy skinny but he looked lithe and agile. Seeing himself outmatched he jumped back and pulled the unconscious prisoner to her feet putting his sword to her neck.

"Don't move" he said.

Percy didn't know what to do. Julia and Jeremiah were still fighting their respective enemies and the fourteen year old seemed almost ready to fire. There wasn't enough time to attack the soldier before he killed Jennifer and he didn't have time before camp was destroyed. Percy looked around and he saw the stream flowing strong behind his enemies. It called to him, beckoned to him. He concentrated on it, willing it to move, to help him. Suddenly, the small river rose out of the water and thousands of gallons rose in the air behind the blue dressed soldiers. They crashed into the camp violently, toppling the ballista sideways just as the fourteen year old fired. Instead of going over the trees, the Greek fire hit the forest just below the tree line and making it catch fire.

At the same time, the huge wave hit the soldier holding Jennifer and Percy as well, sending him flying into a tree and making him lose his sword and shield. Percy stood up quickly and saw the soldier running towards Jennifer, sword in hand, aiming for her neck. Without thinking, Percy stood up and jumped between the soldier and the girl, covering her with his own body. He saw the sword coming and felt the thump when it hit the middle of his breastplate.

Jeremiah yelled as he took down the soldier he was fighting and he ran towards the fourteen year old and the remaining soldier. When they saw him, they ran, leaving a sword stuck in Percy's breastplate, an overturned ballista, their beaten friends, and the forest on fire. Percy took out the sword, expecting to see blood flowing from his chest, except there was nothing, he didn't seem to be hurt.

"Damn good breastplate" he muttered.

"Come on!" yelled Jeremiah before he shot off in pursuit of the enemy soldiers.

Percy snapped out of it and ran behind Jeremiah, heading into the forest. There, they separated, Percy following the fourteen year old kid and Jeremiah going for the remaining soldier. However, just as Percy was about to catch up to him, he saw an archway, just like the one he had entered from. Standing next to it was Aeneas and he was staring at him.

Percy walked over to him and, without a word, stepped through the archway. When he went through, he returned to the circle of sand, surrounded by the stone stands and the archways of water.

"You have failed" said Aeneas. "I didn't even see the point in leaving you there for any longer. You were supposed to follow orders, to the letter. You disobeyed your command and jeopardized your fellow soldiers. You are hereby dismissed from _Castra Roma". _

A small dark hole opened up inside of Percy. He had messed up and really, looking back on it, he wouldn't have done anything different. Maybe he was just wasn't meant to be in _Castra Roma. _Percy was about to take off his broken armor and turn and leave back the way he had come, when they were interrupted.

"No. He is not yet dismissed" said another voice. Percy turned, he saw the figure of a woman, with brown hair and a stern face, walking towards them.

"Roma" said Aeneas. "What are you doing here? This was my hero to test, you are not needed here".

"Perhaps" said Roma. "But, as one of the judges, I can vote on his entry into _Castra Roma. _The test was unfair, Aeneas, and he did show courage. Courage is what it takes to stand up and act but it is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Percy showed the latter. There was no cowardice in his actions".

"Maybe. But what about loyalty?" countered Aeneas. "He disobeyed his orders! Legionnaires are expected to follow them, _always_".

"There were exceptional circumstances" argued Roma. "And you have to take into account his… origins. I vote he enter _Castra Roma_".

"You cannot overrule me" said Aeneas angrily.

"But I can tie the vote" said Roma. "We'll need her to settle the issue".

"Who?" asked Percy.

"Usually, either Aeneas or myself will judge and admit new heroes into camp" said Roma. "But on complex cases such as yourself, every few hundred years or so we disagree and we recur to a goddess to give a third vote, settling the dispute".

"But who?" insisted Percy.

"Me" said a fourth voice from the darkness.

Percy turned around and looked at the new arrival. It was a young girl with brown hair and deep eyes. But her eyes were made of flames, deep red and moving, filled with warmth and kindness.

"I am Vesta" she said. "Goddess of loyalty, of home, of family and of the hearth. It is good to see you again, Percy Jackson".

Percy felt an electric shock as he saw her. He had seen this goddess before, only not exactly. Something pulled at his memory and his head started to hurt as he strained to figure out who she was.

"You present a complicated case, Percy" she went on. "Your nature is profoundly at conflict with the ideology of the homes I protect in _Castra Roma. _Allowing you into camp would make you clash with almost every institution I represent. But you are a worthy hero and you have shown courage and a degree of loyalty, to your friends and teammates, you were ready to give up your life for that boy's girlfriend".

"So…" said Percy. "Did I pass?"

"No" said Vesta. "I think you failed the test in the way Aeneas designed it. But I'm not ready to turn you down yet, either. You will be allowed into _Castra Roma_ under probation. I haven't made up my mind yet about you. I will be watching you closely. Do not make me regret this decision".

"I won't" said Percy. "Trust me."

"One more word of caution, Percy" said Roma. "You saw something terrible in our past, something that may be destined to happen again. Know that history, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, it need not be lived again. Always remember that".

Percy nodded without saying anything. Aeneas looked angry but he simply waved his hand again and Percy's clothes changed back to his regular outfit. At the same time, the water that cascaded from the archways around them disappeared, revealing a rock wall behind each of them. Across the circle, one of them opened sideways like an elevator door, revealing sunlight behind it.

Roma, Aeneas and Vesta disappeared then, in a flash of light. Percy stared for a few seconds at the place they had just been, before making his way to the door that had opened for him. He took a deep breath and stepped through into bright sunlight.

**So that was chapter 9. I don't think it was my best test and it was kinda long but I hope you liked it. Please review. I'll take all the criticism you've got. Next chapter's in Castra Roma and that'll be easier. I'll try to make a chapter a week at least. Bye. WPR.**

**P.S. I might be moving the structure of the tests a bit this week, but nothing major. **


	10. Chapter 10  Reyna's Report

**Hi guys. So I was really happy when I saw Percy's test had a good reception. I took so long cause I originally planned on a choice kind of test, like the previous ones, but somehow I brought in Aeneas into the story and I kind of lost control of where I was going with the challenge and then I had this time travel training test I wasn't so sure about. I'm just relieved I didn't get booed for it.**

**Once again, thanks to all reviewers. A big shout out to Katherine again for the spectacular review. Also to bornlucky101, .star.x and wisegirl77 who I think are my most loyal reviewers. All three of them have their own SON fics, I recommend everyone go check them out, they're great. To PenNameless1994: Gracias. It was fun getting a review in my native language, which is Spanish. On that note, my whole putting the period outside quotation marks "like so". is because that's how you quote in essays in Spanish. Sorry for the mistake, but let me know about that kind of stuff, I'll try not to do it again.**

**Wow, long author's note. Anyway. Chapter 10, hope you like it.**

**Chapter 10 – **_**Unexpected News**_

Reyna was seething as she made her way down Mission Peak's slope and headed towards the valley where _Castra Roma _was hidden. She checked her watch and saw that it was just past midnight, meaning they were now a full day late from their scouting mission. On her left, the river where they had left the three new demigods resurfaced out of the mountain's side and went on towards the Bay, where it would finally join the sea. She looked back towards the great peak and saw that the entrance into its inner corridors was firmly shut, which meant that the new arrivals were still facing their challenges, or perhaps, that they had failed. The thought made her shiver, there was something special about that group and she had a feeling, a strong one, that the leader of the group was somehow related to Jason's disappearance. She needed to talk to him.

As she descended the pathway with Bruce and Alexa in tow, Reyna contemplated the vast expanse that was _Castra Roma. _True to Roman spirit and tradition, the huge encampment, roughly the size of six adjoining football fields, was shaped as a perfect square and its edges were made up of defensive walls_. _The walls consisted of high stone ramparts or _agger _surmounted by a wooden palisade or _vallum. _Soldiers were able to walk on top of the ramparts and patrol the edges of camp, making sure they were never surprised or caught unaware by the enemy. Every hundred feet around the wall there was a watchtower, complete with settings for a catapult, ballista or mangonel, all of them armed with Imperial gold projectiles that could shoot at any possible land, sea or airborne target that approached camp unannounced. On the outside of the wall_,_ a deep outer ditch or _fossa _had been dug, to make sure no one could enter camp on foot without having to sink waist deep in mud and other nasty surprises. Reyna watched the building with pride, even if anyone overcame the magical boundaries that protected the valley, _Castra Roma _was the most secure place on the face of the planet. It never had, and it never would, be taken by force.

She continued walking down towards the main gate, the _Porta Praetoria,_ wondering how on earth they were going to report what had happened the previous day to Lupa without it sounding like an utter disgrace. Not only had they been spotted by the group they were supposed to be covertly watching, they had also had their butts handed to them by two untrained demigods in hand to hand combat, the type they were supposed to be best at. And they hadn't discovered anything about Jason. Reyna sighed; Lupa was not going to be impressed with their performance and she might even demote her from her current rank if that stupid kid with the black hair and green eyes blabbed too much about their fight.

The _Porta Pretoria _was only a couple of hundred of feet away, its two grand towers gaining prominence and starting to dominate the scenery, when a voice rang clear through the starry night, causing birds to fly away from nearby trees and disappear into the darkness of the nearby forest.

"Who goes there?" called the voice, strong but not aggressive. Reyna thought she recognized who was calling out and she approached confidently.

"It's Reyna!" she cried out as loud as she could. "Centurion of the Legion! I'm with Bruce and Alexa, returning from a scouting expedition!"

There was no answer from camp, but Reyna could hear the cranks of levers being pulled to open the doors for her and her team. She hurried up and saw a soldier walk out and wait for them at the entrance. As she neared, she recognized him.

"Bobby!" she called out, running the last few yards to the _Porta Praetoria._

"Hey Reyna," he answered, with a smile. "You're late, you know."

"We were delayed," said Alexa. "We found some new demigods on their way to camp. We had to take them to Mission Peak to be tested and they were, let's say, troublesome."

"Really?" he asked, looking surprised. "And you took them to Mission Peak? New demigods aren't supposed to go there, even trained heroes sometimes struggle when training there."

"Well we couldn't take them to the Wolf House, could we?" said Bruce forcefully. "Until further notice, Lupa's determined newbies are to be tested in the mountain."

"Poor suckers" murmured Bobby. "Hope they make it. But how did you find them? If they came all the way up here, then where's their guardian?"

Reyna tensed at the question. "They claim their guardian was Garret and that he, um, went missing, two days ago… They came here on their own under his instructions."

Bobby shook his head, like he understood. "You should go to Lupa, and quickly too. You don't want to be any later than you already are and you need to report this. Besides, Hazel's team's back and they've brought home some news, big news."

"What?" asked Bruce violently. "Did they find Jason?"

"No," said Bobby quickly. "But it's better if you hear it from Lupa directly. Go. She's at the _praetorium_. She's expecting you, too."

Reyna didn't wait another second. She pushed Bobby gently aside walked quickly into _Castra Roma. _For an instant, she paused at the entrance and surveyed the impressive architecture inside the defensive walls. _Castra Roma _was divided bytwo main roads which crossed it from side to side. The first road, the _Via Principalis_ cut through camp from the western gate where it led to the sea, all the way to the eastern gate, which faced Mission Peak and the surrounding forests, the place where they now stood. The other road was the _Via Praetoria_ and it connected the southern gate with its northern counterpart, which looked towards the highway and the city of San Francisco. In the middle of this last road, close to the very centre of camp, there was the _praetorium, _the place where Lupa met with the praetors and centurions, where all important discussions were held and where all the major decisions in the history of _Castra Roma _had been taken.

They walked as fast as they could down the _Via Praetoria, _heading straight for the tall building at the heart of camp. The grounds were quiet and empty in the middle of the night as most campers were asleep, resting before another day of grueling training began the next morning. A low wind rustled the blades of grass and made dust rise from the stones that paved the road. The camp's pathways were lit by torches that were held on braziers just above their heads but they seemed unnecessary that night as there was a full moon which bathed the entire camp, making it a very clear summer night.

When they finally arrived at Lupa's door, they hesitated. It was always an experience to visit Lupa, and not always a pleasant one, and certainly not when you were at fault. They weren't anxious to see their teacher's reaction to their mission but waiting would only make matters worse. Unwillingly, Reyna knocked hard on the door, three times, and walked slowly into the _praetorium. _

The main hall was silent, empty and dark. Lupa wasn't there. With a little surprise, they continued down the long corridor behind it, sided by large round columns on either side, until they reached the study at the end of the hall, where the she-wolf sometimes worked. Before they had even reached it, the door opened and out came Dakota, daughter of Minerva and the recently appointed interim _praetor _of the First Legion.

"Reyna!_" _she said. "You are late, you know. I was wondering if I was going to have to send someone to find out if you died. What happened?"

"It's a long story," said Reyna. "Is Lupa inside? I don't want to be any later than I already am."

"No," said Dakota. "I'm afraid she just left, didn't say why either, just that something big was happening in Olympus and that she'd been summoned by Lord Jupiter. She said you should report to me on your mission and that some form of disciplinary measure would be necessary for your tardiness. Sorry, Rey. Now come on, follow me."

They all walked out of the _praetorium _and headed for the southeast corner of camp, where they found the dying embers of the camp fire, inside the small amphitheatre they used for meetings, shows and other activities, a much friendlier place for their story.

"So," began Dakota, "where were you this past week? Why are you so late?"

Reyna stared at the fire, looking depressed, and she began her story. "We travelled as far east as Denver, searching for Jason or for any information on his whereabouts. We started at Mount Tamalpais, where we had our last fight with the Titan army, to see if any of our old enemies had taken him. We found nothing but rubble, Atlas, and bad memories. So we continued making our way east, looking everywhere we could think of. We looked with the families of every camper who lived in the area and in all the places we knew he had ever visited. He was nowhere to be found. We even searched and found the Cumaean Sybil, prophetess of the gods, to see if she had any information for us, but when we found her she wouldn't speak to us, she remained silent for our whole time there. She almost drove me mad."

"She speaks only when she is ready, Reyna" interrupted Dakota. "That is why she only comes to camp at times of great danger or of momentous decisions. You cannot force prophecy or induce it at your will or convenience. You know this. Why did you seek the prophetess out? Neither she nor Apollo will appreciate it."

"I was getting desperate!" answered Reyna. "It's been over a month and there's been no news! She could have helped us, if she had wanted to, if she had even tried."

"No, Reyna. She couldn't have. And it was not your place to ask or even pressure her!" said Dakota strongly. "That was way out of line! Lupa would be furious. There could be consequences for this."

Dakota gave her a steely glare and looked her in the eye, but didn't say anything. After a while, Reyna took up her story again.

"After we left the prophetess, we realized we had run out of time, and so we made our way back to _Castra Roma_ on the double. We met some monsters on the way back but nothing major; they mostly kept out of our way, though I don't know why."

"Is that all?" asked Dakota, softly.

"No," answered Reyna. "When we were approaching _Castra Roma_, we spotted three teenagers heading through the forest towards camp. We followed them covertly for a morning, trying to find out whom they were and if they presented a threat, seeing as how they were very close to our borders and heading straight for the northern gate".

"Did you engage them?" asked Dakota.

Reyna hesitated for a second.

"Um, actually" interrupted Alexa, "they engaged us. One of the kids separated from the others, circled their position and ambushed me."

"How did this happen?" asked the _praetor_.

"It was my fault" said Reyna quickly. "I was tailing him, but he knew I was on him and I… lost him."

"So three of our best soldiers were outsmarted by a fresh kid in the middle of the woods, no less than two miles from _Castra Roma, _in territory they were perfectly familiar with_" _said Dakota. There was surprise in her voice and some measure of disapproval. But she was also impressed.

"Well yeah," said Bruce. "But Reyna and I noticed what the kid had done immediately and went for him moments after he got to Alexa. He didn't stand a chance, really."

"So you confronted him," said Dakota. "Did he offer resistance?"

"Yes," said Alexa. "This other kid from their group showed up and we all got into a fight. The first kid, Liam was his name, he didn't have much going for him except for instinct, some rash courage and sheer luck. I fought him and beat him."

"And the other?" asked Dakota.

Both Reyna and Bruce tensed at the question. They knew there was no lying to Dakota, she would weasel any lie in seconds, but the real answer was embarrassing. Alexa however, didn't seem to have any misgivings.

"The other kid fought Bruce and Reyna in one of the most intense duels I've ever seen. The guy was armed with a magical bronze sword and he gave them a fair fight. He was-"

"A bronze sword?" asked Dakota, interrupting her with a sudden intensity. "Are you sure it was bronze?"

"Yeah," said Alexa. "It kind of glowed, but I don't see the relevance of it."

"What was his name?" asked Dakota again.

Reyna answered then. "He said his name was Percy Jackson. And he was just plain weird, from his fighting style, all disordered and unpredictable, to the way he talked. But he was very good."

Dakota stayed silent for a few seconds looking somber and obviously thinking deeply. "That name sounds familiar" she said. "So, did he win? In the fight, I mean."

"Nobody won," said Alexa quickly. "Their last friend broke up the fight and forced us to talk. We realized they were demigods and so we took them to Mission Peak, so that they could be tested before coming to _Castra Roma_. And then we came back to camp."

Dakota was silent again for several seconds. "Reyna," she said finally, "I'm not sure what to do now. Your mission was obviously a failure, you didn't find any information, you managed to disrespect the Cumaean Sybil and then you battled and, let's face it Bruce hasn't bragged at all about the fight, you were beaten by two untrained demigods. These actions are dishonorable for _Castra Roma, _Lupa would have you on double duty for a month, maybe even demote you from your post as Centurion."

Reyna stiffened and only said "Yes, I know."

Dakota considered her carefully. "However," she said, "Lupa isn't here and it falls to me to issue your disciplinary sanction. Lupa will never revoke my decision, it would be against our rules, but I have to be fair. So, you will keep your rank as a Centurion, but you will receive a reprieve. To start with, you, Reyna, as the commander of the mission, will mount full guard in front of Mission Peak until such time as the three new demigods make it outside or until two days have passed, at which time we can assume they died. After that, you are all on stable duties for this week and running double shifts in the mornings. Bruce and Alexa, you can go to your cabins now. Reyna, stay for a second."

Bruce and Alexa immediately stood up and, with a quick "yes ma'am!" they turned and made their way back to their cabins, their shoulders slightly hunched and without talking. Reyna stayed there, expectant, and before Alexa and Bruce had really left the amphitheatre, her curiosity got the better of her.

"What did Hazel find?" she asked Dakota. With her question, every fiber of her being trembled, maybe they had found something important, maybe they had even found Jason's location.

Dakota gave her a sad look before answering. "I'm afraid there are still no clues about Jason's disappearance, all of our teams have found nothing on him, it's like he just evaporated from the face of the earth." She paused for a second and saw Reyna's face drop terribly. "But Hazel did find out something important, a clue perhaps as to what is going on in Olympus."

"What?" asked Reyna.

"Hazel travelled north" said Dakota. "And I mean way north, she went through Canada and as far as Anchorage in Alaska. She was obviously looking for clues about Jason but her primary objective was to find information about the suspicious monster activity we've been seeing lately. There is something going on in the tundra up north, there are hundreds of monsters moving in that direction and they are searching for something. That is why you had such an easy time on your way back; most of the evil mythological creatures are being mobilized north. Hazel said they were constantly digging in random places and searching in caves in the mountains. They faced some Hyperborean giants and tried to get the information from them, but they only said their master wanted it and that they had to find it."

"Find what?"

"We don't know. The only thing certain right now is that there are massive forces accumulating north of the border searching for something and that they are being led by someone the Hyperborean giants simply refer to as Father or Master. Lupa was actually considering sending the full force of _Castra Roma _against these monsters, before they can find what they are looking for."

"Does anyone have any idea what that may be?" asked Reyna.

"We can guess," said Dakota. "There are many items of power that monsters would crave to get their hands on, like weapons left behind by the Titans. What worries me more is who this Father guy is. The only ones with that kind of power, to order around such a number of monsters, were the Titans and they are now all gone, sent back to Tartarus or defeated by the gods. If there is a new mastermind behind every monster in the country, we could have another war on our hands."

"So what are we going to do about it?" asked Reyna.

"Right now, only Centurions and Hazel's team have been informed of the situation. Lupa was going to make a decision before she was forced to leave in a hurry. So, for now, I'm waiting for the rest of the scouting teams to return before I make a decision. And I also want to talk with this new demigod you've found. It looks like he's had some training if he can beat you in a swordfight. He might know something."

"Fine," said Reyna, standing up. "I'll let you know the moment he comes out of the mountain, but he might not be in any condition to talk."

"Why not?" asked Dakota.

"Well, they were all at least sixteen and I left them at Mission Peak to be tested. You know that the older they are, the harder the tests are, Roma and Aeneas will be vicious with them."

"If they're as good as you say, they'll make it. Now go, you'll have to stand guard all night at Mission Peak, there's no telling how long it'll be until they come out, if they ever do. Come find me when you've got all three of them."

"Sure," said Reyna. "See you tomorrow."

And with that, Reyna stood up and headed straight back the road she'd come from, for a sleepless night until the idiot guy who had beaten her showed up to her camp. She was probably going to kill him.

**Hi guys, sorry for the very late update. I was in mid-terms last week and then work got kind of intense. I know I promised a chapter a week, I'm sorry. So, hope you liked chapter 10, please review even though it's kind of a filler chapter. I'm just starting to introduce **_**Castra Roma **_**and the characters there, there will be several chapters at camp but exciting things when Percy gets there. **

**See ya. WPR**


	11. Chapter 11  The Talk

**Hi everyone. Here goes. Hope you like this chapter**

**Question: I was thinking of changing the summary for the story, it's kind of lame right now, it only reads, "this story tells of what happened to Percy after he disappeared from Camp Half-blood." Thoughts?**

**Chapter 11 – **

When Liam opened the door on the left, it led into a grand but short corridor, made up of light brown rock, like the one in the tunnel that had almost killed him, but ending after only a few dozen feet in a large gate. The gate was carved into the wall just like the one he had put his hand on before he faced his test of courage. He approached cautiously, looking for a way to open it, but this time there was no need to activate anything. As he got near, the earth rumbled and the walls slid open sideways, letting out a blast of fresh air that hit Liam's face and filled his lungs.

He was blinded for a second by the bright light of what seemed to be midmorning. He walked outside slowly as his eyes got accustomed to the sun. Behind him, the door rumbled again and closed slowly. As he made his way onto the mountain's slope, Liam heard a small yelp off to the side and he turned to see Reyna standing guard close by the door. She was still dressed with her light battle armor and her twin swords were still sheathed behind her back. She looked exhausted, but she walked purposefully towards him.

"Finally," she said in a low voice, "I was starting to wonder if any of you had what it takes to make it through the mountain…"

"Worried about me, were you, luv?" asked Liam, smiling.

"As if…" said Reyna. "I just have some questions you guys need to answer."

"So you waited out here till we came out? Since what… last night?"

Reyna blushed before answering. "Well, yeah…" she said, "I just… I mean… shut up!" she finished as Liam started to laugh loudly at her stammering. He continued to chuckle for a couple of seconds before he sat down by a nearby tree and pressed his back against its trunk.

"Ok, ok," he said. "But first things first, where are Jamie and Percy? Have they come out yet?"

"No," she answered, "you're the first one. And you might be the only one."

"Nah," said Liam, "they're gonna make it, just wait. I'll stay too, until they get here."

"You really believe in them," said Reyna. "What makes you so sure they can pass the tests? They are never easy and there are never two that are exactly the same. They are made especially for each person, meant to put pressure on your biggest weaknesses, so that you show your worst side. It wouldn't be the first time someone failed."

"Look," said Liam. "Jamie might be as useful as a steering wheel on a train when it comes to social situations, but you'll never meet a braver or more loyal girl than her, she'll always stick her neck out for you when it matters. She'll pass her tests, I promise you."

"And what about the other guy?" said Reyna "Percy Jackson."

Liam laughed. "Percy will be fine. He is…"

But whatever Percy was, Reyna would never find out. Right then, the door rumbled again and a few seconds later, Jamie came out, staggering a bit, very pale and looking like she'd been crying.

"Jamie!" shouted Liam. He got up and ran over to her.

"Hi, Liam, Reyna," she said as she walked over. Then, when she got near them, she stared. "Liam! Are you ok? What on earth happened to you?"

Liam looked down and took stock of himself. His clothes were torn, his face was probably covered in blood from the cut on his left eyebrow, his shirt was ripped and there were lots of cuts and scrapes all over his body. He had forgotten about them during his conversation with Roma, but once he looked at them, they all started to sting again.

"Bumps and bruises" he said. "I had to squeeze through a tunnel rougher than a pig's breakfast to get here. It was good fun though. Are _you_ ok? You seem… shook."

Jamie didn't answer immediately and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but hesitated. "I'm fine," she answered finally. "It's just that the tests were… not what I expected."

"Yeah," said Liam, "tell me about it."

"Where's Percy?" asked Jamie.

"Present," said a voice behind them.

They turned around and saw Percy walking out tranquilly out the mountain, taking advantage of the still open door. He didn't seem to be hurt but there was a distant look in his eyes, like he wasn't really there, as if his mind were concentrating on some other, more important, issue.

"Percy!" shouted both Liam and Jamie at the same time. Jamie ran over to him and hugged him whilst Liam walked over and slapped him on the back.

"Knew you could make it," said Liam.

"Thanks, man" said Percy.

"Well, this is all very touching and all," said Reyna, "but now that you are all here, it's time you formally entered _Castra Roma _and went through your initiation."

"Initiation?" asked Percy. "I thought we were done with the whole testing part. What's it going to be now?"

"Yeah," said Jamie, "I don't know if I've got another one of those tests in me."

"You'll see" said Reyna, "but before I take you back to camp, there are several things we have to talk about. Sit down."

They all plopped down on the ground. "So," said Liam, as he leaned on the tree again. "What's up?"

Reyna paused for a second, considering how to start this conversation. She had never had it with anyone and the whole thing could be hard to explain and even harder to accept if it wasn't said properly.

"You have been travelling for a couple of days now," she began "and you have obviously seen some things that relate to this place, like Garret, the chimera and the three tests you've been through. But, are you aware by now what _Castra Roma _is? Who the campers who come here really are?"

"No," said Jamie and Liam at the same time. Percy stayed silent.

"It's all been a blur," commented Jamie, "I expected it to start making sense eventually, but everything's become more confusing since we met you. What is this place? Why did we have to come here? Why were we tested… like that?

Reyna didn't answer immediately and wondered what her test could have been that had shaken her so badly. She knew that sometimes, on special cases, Roma wouldn't just make you show your courage or loyalty, she would teach you the meaning of those values through experience, because she believed that only when you truly live courage and loyalty, learn them by using them, can you acquire those virtues and make them a part of yourself, forever. Reyna remembered her own test and the cryptic words that Roma had told her as she left her side. One day, she would figure them out.

"All right," she said suddenly. "If you are going to understand _Castra Roma _and what goes on here, you have to understand the roots of our culture, of Western culture. You see, what people usually fail to realize is that everyone in what we call Western civilization, no matter where they're from, are heirs to a common history and a cultural beginning that defines all of them."

"Ok…" said Jamie. "How so?"

"It all began in Greece," answered Reyna, "with the forefathers of men like Plato and Aristotle. They started a way of thinking and of seeing the world that had never been before. Their ideas developed into a group of shared beliefs in cities like Athens, Sparta and Thebes, and these shared beliefs then developed into a civilization, the very first brand of Western Civilization. They tried to define the nature of the world and the definitions that they came up with are very much alive to this day."

"That's all very nice," said Liam. "I know that the roots of our culture come from the Greeks. That is why to this day people will still study Greek philosophy and history, it can help understand why some things are the way they are in some places. But what's that got to do with this, with here and now."

"The importance is," said Reyna forcefully, "that in their explanation of the world, the Greeks came up with the gods. The gods were created out of the imagination of the people and the ideas that they incarnated. The Greeks believed that a god participated in almost every aspect of their daily lives and that they gave meaning to the unexplained mysteries of the world. As the culture solidified around them, the gods they created, and along with them their enemies, became real and a link was formed between them and the civilization that believed in them. The gods were brought to life. They became real, solid, with a history and a personality. And they are alive to this day."

"Ok, hold your horses there," said Jamie. "So you're saying that gods, as in immortal, all-powerful gods, are alive because people believe in them? Even if that were possible, and I'm not saying that it is, people believed in them ages ago, nobody believes in the Greek gods now, so they would have stopped existing, I mean there are no more temples to Apollo or people worshipping him now. He's not real anymore."

Reyna seemed scared for a second and she looked up to the sun, with apprehension. "Be careful with names, Jamie" she said, looking back down from the sky. "They have more power than you think, do not name the gods or their enemies lightly. But, answering your question, you might have realized inside the mountain, that faith and belief can take many forms. The gods' power does not come from people praying to them in temples, it never did. It comes from the fact that the ideas that they represent are alive and that the culture that brought them to life has gone on. As long as Western civilization lives, they live too, as a part of it. That is also the reason why gods can disappear, they can fade, when the values that gave them reason are abandoned by Western culture."

"So, they're real," said Percy, speaking for the first time. "Zeus, Artemis, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, all of them. They exist."

"Well yes, but not in those forms," said Reyna. "As Western civilization changed, so too changed the gods. They were once the Greek gods you have just mentioned, but the Greeks became weaker over time and their once great empire collapsed and divided. The flame of Western civilization moved from Mount Olympus in Greece to another place. It moved to Rome and it was the Roman Empire that held it together, under new names like Jupiter for Zeus and slightly different personalities and character. The Greek gods then faded and became the Roman gods."

Percy looked extremely confused by that, but he couldn't understand his discomfort and, once again, he remained silent.

"So," said Jamie. "The gods are alive and they are, what, in Rome?"

"No," said Reyna. The gods follow what has been called the flame of the West, the centre of Western power and culture. And the flame moves from place to place as nations develop, rise and fall. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the flame moved a lot, between France, Spain and Germany, wherever Western power concentrated. Finally, the gods stayed in England for several centuries until America came up and took the role as the world's leading Western power. The gods are now here. To be precise, they are in New York City."

"So the gods are now American?" said Liam with an incredulous laugh. "I know you Americans think a lot of yourselves, but really… American gods?"

"They're not American!" said Reyna harshly. "When the Roman Empire collapsed people stopped worshipping the gods. They remained alive because the culture didn't change its building blocks but their personas were no longer part of the changes in Western culture, they remained the same. They are, to this day, the Roman gods, in their Roman forms."

"Fine," said Jamie. "But even if that's true, what's it got to do with us?"

Reyna paused for a second. "What do you know about your parents?" she asked. "I'm guessing you were all raised by only one of them, either your dad or your mom, right?"

"Yeah," said Liam. "It was my mother."

"Me too," said Jamie, "my dad."

Percy stayed silent.

"Do you know anything about your other parent?" pressed Reyna. "Anything at all?"

"I've been asking my dad for years," said Jamie, "but he won't tell me anything."

"I've actually never asked my mum directly," said Liam. "I reckoned if she didn't want to talk about it, it must be something painful for her. And the guy never even sent a card, so why should I care looking for him?"

Percy stayed silent. Reyna looked at him, waiting for him to comment on his parents too, but he didn't say anything and just stared back at her with bright green eyes, waiting for her to continue.

"Well," she went on. "The gods, they interact with us, with the mortal world and have a bunch of human characteristics, including flaws and weaknesses. Just like in the old stories, they come down here and they mingle with mortals and, quite often, they have kids with them. I'll be quite blunt with you. Your dad, Liam, and your mom, Jamie, are gods, they are one of the Olympians."

There was a moment of silence, before Liam chuckled. "Riight" he said, very slowly. "So you think my dad is an all powerful immortal that's lived since the beginnings of time. Of course, and that would make me-"

"A demigod," finished Reyna. "Or a half-blood. A child of the gods. And yeah, I'm sure of it. The fact that you're here, that you were able to enter Mission Peak and reach this place is proof enough. You are one of us."

They stared at her, incredulously. Jamie was about to open her mouth to protest again, when she was cut short.

"It's true," said Percy suddenly. "She's telling the truth. How else do you explain it all? And I know this, I know it in my gut, she's telling the truth."

"Then who are our parents? Which god or goddess?" asked Liam. "Do you know?" he asked again, directing his eyes at Reyna.

"No," she said. "But we're going to find out soon enough. When we get to camp, you will be claimed by your godly parent."

"Claimed?" asked Jamie. "What do you mean claimed?"

"Come on, you'll see".

She stood up and motioned for them to follow her, making her way down to the immense camp in the valley.

**Hi guys. So that was chapter 11. It was originally muuuuch longer but I'm having trouble with the second part, and seeing as how I haven't posted in a while, I thought I'd just get this part out and continue working on **_**Castra Roma **_**and put that in a later chapter. There are several tricky parts, like their claiming, their entry into a cabin, a possible comeback by Lupa, Percy's reception and reactions and I haven't quite figured it all out. Reviews would be awesome. **

**See ya WPR.**


	12. Chapter 12  Initiation

**Hi guys. Thanks for the comments on the summary, in case you might not have noticed, it's changed now. Anyway, story time. **

**Chapter 12 – Initiation**

Jamie felt nervous as she walked through the high gates of _Castra Roma._ It wasn't just that the place emanated a sense of aggression that was intimidating, there was also the simple but unbelievable realization that there, in the middle of the Bay Area, there was a true Roman fortress you could have plucked out of the ground and placed anywhere in 5th century Europe without it looking out of the ordinary. She didn't know if she could fit in there. And then, there was also the impression, which had grown as they had approached the main doors, that the structure of _Castra Roma_ served a double purpose. On one hand it was clearly meant for defense, a castle prepared to stand a lifelong siege, but on the other hand it was also clearly a barracks, a forward position, ready and eager to let loose the dogs of war.

Jamie's face fell as she realized that camp probably wouldn't offer anything more to her than a preparation in the art of war. Since the moment she had left school, her life had become about fighting and confrontation and everything seemed to revolve around combat. The boys seemed to be fine with it, they even looked excited about it, but she was slightly disappointed. Even though she knew when enough was enough and even though she would always take a stand when push came to shove, she was also aware that there was more to life than going around getting in other people's faces. There was fun and games, reading and art and hanging out with your friends, doing nothing but stare at the stars. She hoped there would be more to _Castra Roma _than learning how to kill in a more organized and cleaner way.

"Welcome," said Reyna as they passed through the threshold, "to the best place you'll ever know."

Jamie walked inside the walls and stopped for a second to take in the great array of buildings that made up the small city. The first thing she noticed was that camp was neatly divided into four areas, each meant for a very distinct purpose. The northwest corner confirmed Jamie's every suspicion about _Castra Rroma. _As she examined the many buildings that littered the area, she could visualize the war machine that was _Castra Roma, _identifying every cog and piece that made it strong, in the same way an architect can visualize a building by looking at its blueprints.

At the far end of the grounds, where the western wall emerged, she could see the armory, where weapons were stored and tended for darker times. Right next to it, so that both buildings were actually connected, there was the forges, a large black edifice built in with as many as twelve smoking chimneys, with heaps of metal stocked next to its wall and people carrying brand new swords out of it at a rate of production that could probably rival factories in China. Jamie wondered what kind of work went on inside them, as it was quite clear magic was involved from the different colored smokes rising into the air from the chimneys.

Across the road from the forges, there was an enormous round building, made of a coppery colored stone, with archways on the ground floor and oval openings as the walls rose. It was filled with sand and surrounded by stands for people to watch from, like the Coliseum in Rome. Between the archways, Jamie was able to catch glimpses of warriors in battle armor, dueling with swords and other weapons.

Beyond the Coliseum there was an archery range where kids from different ages were shooting at bull's eyes, moving targets or doing obstacle courses while firing their bows at targets that appeared as they ran. Finally, there was a second large arena, open except for some wooden fences, where soldiers were riding horses around a track, fighting on horseback or practicing archery while riding. Simultaneously, the same thing was happening in the air above them, where pegasi soared the air in close formations, like fighter planes on a military exercise.

Jamie had expected that to be all to be found in _Castra Roma, _a place meant exclusively for fighting the Roman way. But there was so much more. The northeast corner did not have any hint of war or battle, but instead it was obviously meant for sports, just regular, old-fashioned athletics. There was a track where some kids were racing, an open field that could be used for anything from football to soccer and there was also a gym, where some were working out and wrestling. Next to the gym there was also a large pool where a crowd was watching what seemed to be a relay race.

The southwest corner looked strange to Jamie. There was nothing there except for twelve grand buildings that looked like cabins for the campers. They were similar to one another, except for some slight differences in shape and color, forming a U shape smack in the middle of that area. But there was also a construction project going on and new cabins were being built, completing the U made by the twelve original cabins and forming a full rectangle.

In the middle of this rectangle, Jamie saw a small fire burning and, poking at the fire, there was a little girl. She was wearing a white dress and she watched them sadly as they walked past. Jamie looked at her with pity because she seemed sweet and lonely sitting by herself in the middle of the field, so she smiled and waved at her as they were about to turn away. The little girl smiled back at her and the smile made her whole face change, one of utter joy, like the girl had been granted the greatest of presents. Jamie felt warm inside and, for some reason, protected, like she felt when she got scared as a girl and her dad would hug her and hold her close. Still, it lasted only a second before they turned away.

And then, they neared the southeast corner. Jamie felt joy explode inside her as her eyes travelled down that vast area, where she knew she'd be spending most of her time. There was an amphitheatre where shows or plays could be performed and two buildings on either side of it, one out of which musicians seemed to be filing out, holding different kinds of instruments, and the other where people went in with books, with a look of dread on their faces. There was some form of studying going on. But the best thing was that there was nothing else there, only some benches tables, and grass. It was a place to just go, and hang out. Do nothing. The only sad thing was, it was almost empty.

"All right people, and now for the grand tour," said Reyna. "As you can see, there are four main areas to _Castra Roma_, the battlegrounds where you'll do most of your training, the sports grounds in case you feel like running or whatever, the cabins where we sleep and hang out and the learning grounds, where we also go to sleep a couple of hours a day."

"Brilliant!" said Liam looking towards the Coliseum. "Can we go over to the battlegrounds? I saw this guy carrying the coolest knives, I swear-"

"No," said Reyna firmly. "First, we have to go to the shrine for your initiation. You have to be formally admitted into camp. I sent a message at the gate that we were headed over there and they'll be expecting us. Now, follow me."

They went down one of the main roads that cut through camp and headed for a small building in the southeast corner that had gone completely unnoticed by Jamie. It had four white columns ending in a dome and it was completely open, with wide arches to enter it from and no windows, so that a fresh breeze would always roll through, making it very pleasant in the heat of summer. There were statues all around the circle and Jamie recognized some of them, there was Apollo, with a laurel crown and holding a bow, Mercury with his winged sandals and Neptune holding his trident, along with many others.

Inside the building there was a large group of people waiting for them, some wearing purple shirts and jeans while others wore battle armor. As they entered, a blond girl came forward.

"Welcome," she said. "I am Dakota, _praetor _of the First Legion and the guys behind me are my Centurions."

"Hi," said Liam stepping forward. "I am Liam Cavendish and these are Jamie Bell and Percy Jackson."

Dakota smiled at him. "You have passed your tests and proven yourselves to be worthy of serving in _Castra Roma," _she said, "and so now you are ready to join us as Roman Legionnaires."

Jamie noticed that Percy tensed at Dakota's statement and he started fidgeting with his pen, like he did when he was nervous. He opened his mouth as if to say anything but Reyna cut in before he could say anything.

"There is a small ceremony for your initiation," she said. "You have to accept your entry into _Castra Roma _and give an oath of loyalty to the gods and your leaders. Then, you will receive your brand and you will formally become a camper. Are you ready?"

"Yes," both Liam and Jamie spoke at the same time. Percy looked doubtful for a second before he simply nodded.

"Very well," said Dakota. "We will start with Liam. First, I present you with your weapons." She motioned to one of the guys on the side who brought forth some pieces of armor, a sword, a helmet and a large square shield. He gave them to Dakota who put lay them on top of a large white stone table in the middle of the room.

"Liam," she said. "These are the weapons and garments of a Roman Legionnaire. By taking them and putting them on you will accept that you are one of us. You must understand that you are not only entering a summer camp, you are becoming part of the Legion and part of our family. You will be bound by our rules and you will serve under our leaders. Do you accept?"

Liam didn't answer but rather moved forward to the white table and took the armor. Patiently, he put it on, strapping the sword on his waist and placing the helmet firmly on his head. It fit him perfectly and Jamie was impressed. With the armor on and holding his sword and shield, it was hard to remember the goofy, English kid he was. He looked much older and serious, like he could command an army.

Dakota smiled at him. "Liam Cavendish," she said, "do you swear that you will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the gods of Olympus, that you will support, protect and defend _Castra Roma _to the best of your ability and that you will follow its leaders to war when it is required from you?"

"I swear," he answered firmly.

The second he gave his word a great light erupted in a circle around him. He bathed in it for a second and his hair lifted. A moment later his face changed in surprise and he cried out in pain, grabbing his right arm and kneeling.

"Liam!" cried Jamie, stepping forward. She would have gone to him but a hand dropped on her shoulders, holding her back.

"Don't interfere," said Percy quietly, looking intently at his friend. "He'll be fine."

They watched as Liam stood up slowly and, after a few seconds, the light disappeared. On his right forearm, a tattoo had been branded in black. An eagle, and below it, the letters SPQR.

"What is that?" she asked quickly.

"It means _Senatus Populusque Romanus," _answered Dakota. "The Senate and the People of Rome. It is his brand, the sign that he is now a camper. We all have one," she remarked, lifting her sleeve and showing her own tattoo. "Every year that you survive, a line will be branded on your tattoo, to show your accomplishment. If he's alive next summer he will receive his first line."

"Is is really necessary?" she asked. "Getting tattooed? You could have warned us, you know."

"Sorry," said Reyna. "But it is tradition. Going all the way back to the fifth century. Soldiers would mark their belonging to the army so that you knew that it was a commitment for life. You may eventually leave _Castra Roma _but you will always be a legionnaire. The tattoo is meant to show that."

She paused for a second, like she was remembering and she was about to say something when another distraction filled the room. As Liam turned to them and opened his mouth to speak, light erupted again. This time, instead of coming from beneath Liam and around him, the light came from a spot about a foot above his head and it hurt Jamie's eyes for a second, blinding her.

"What's going on?" shouted Liam, putting his hands above his head and trying to swat the light away, without really reaching it. "What is that thing?"

"Don't move!" said Reyna. "You are being claimed, Liam. It is a sign sent by your godly parent, recognizing you as his son."

Jamie looked up towards the light again and she saw a shape forming, like a hologram above Liam's head. It was a ball of fire, like the sun, illuminating from the back and in front of it there was a lyre, sided by two bows with their respective arrows. She gazed at it in wonder.

Dakota stepped forward and put a hand on Liam's shoulder, steadying him. All around them, muttering began as people started talking to one another and pointing towards the light. At a sign from Dakota, they all shut up and looked at him respectfully. After a second, the _praetor _spoke again.

"Hail Liam Cavendish," she announced happily, "son of Apollo, the Great Archer, Rider of the Sun Chariot, god of music and poetry, medicine and prophecy."

Reyna smiled. "Apollo always did have a good sense of timing," she said with a smile on his face.

"What the hell was that?" asked Liam.

"That was a sign from your father," explained Dakota again. "You have been recognized as a son of Apollo, the god of the sun, with all the privileges and responsibilities that come with it." She then turned to one of the guys in a purple shirt and beckoned to him. "Dean," she said, "take Liam with you and give him a tour of _Castra Roma. _When you're done, show him to his cabin and explain what his duties and rights are."

"Sure," said the guy called Dean. "Come on, Liam, I'll show you around."

Liam gave one last desperate look towards Jamie and Percy while he was directed towards the nearest exit, as if begging them not to leave him alone. Helplessly, they just watched him as he walked out of the shrine and towards the northwest corner.

"Will it be the same for us?" asked Jamie, watching Liam walk away. "Will we get claimed when we take our oaths?"

"There's no way to know," said Reyna. "Ever since July, the gods have had to claim their children as they get here, but they might take a while, I mean, they're usually busy with one thing or another. It's just that Apollo has a flair for drama, so he liked choosing these moments."

She looked at Jamie for a second and said "All right. You're up Jamie." She beckoned to a girl in purple and, in the same way as they did with Liam, she laid out the weapons of a Roman soldier for her. She accepted her new weapons, the rules and leadership of _Castra Roma,_ and she swore her allegiance with all the conviction she was able muster_._

The same light surrounded her and she felt the pain of the branding but, now that she was expecting it, she didn't kneel in pain like Liam had but watched as the lines of the eagle formed across her arm in a deep, irremovable black, and the great emblem of the Romans appeared. She felt a surge of pride for herself, for being able to get there and for belonging to a group that had done such great things. As she stood up she looked expectantly above her head, waiting to see if a sign would appear to finally solve the mystery of her origins. Of her mother. Some seconds passed with only silence. Nobody moved or said anything, but as she lowered her head, Jamie knew it wasn't yet time.

"Don't worry," said Dakota. "It won't be long now. You'll probably get claimed by tonight."

"So where do I go now?" asked Jamie.

"Wait here for a second," said Reyna. "Chances are Percy won't get claimed either, and you can both tour together."

"Percy Jackson," said Dakota, facing her friend. "It's the same drill that you saw before." She laid out the weapons on the table again. "You have passed your tests and proven your worth as a member of _Castra Roma. _Do you accept to join us, to become a Roman, to live by our rules and follow our leaders?"

Percy looked at her for a second and hesitated. "Well," he said. "I don't want to be disrespectful but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to do this, if I'm even supposed to be here… My tests, they uh-"

"Come on, Percy," said Reyna cutting him off. "You are here! You made it through the mountain! That means you've got what it takes. You can be a camper, you _can_ accept your weapons."

Percy looked at her for a second, dubiously. "OK," he said, with a frown on his face. He walked over to the white table in the centre of the room and placed his hand on the pummel of the _gladius _sword_. _He paused and looked at Jamie straight in the eyes with his piercing green gaze, looking for confirmation.

"Go for it," said Jamie softly.

Without taking his eyes off from Jamie's, Percy grabbed the sword and raised it slightly.

"I accep-" he started to say.

Before he could finish that word, the whole table glowed a furious bloody red and the _gladius _glowed a deep angry gold. There was a great flash of light and resounding boom went off as an explosion threw everyone to the ground. Percy was blown away from the stone table and he crashed into one of the marble statues, crashing alongside it into the wall the shrine's wall and reducing the statue to dust and pieces.

Jamie fell to the ground from the explosion's shockwave and hit her side. When she managed to stand up, she saw that the weapons on the table, including the _gladius,_ had disappeared and that on the other side of the room, Percy was rising out of the wreckage of the statue. He didn't seem to be hurt, even though his T-shirt was smoking and had holes in some places. He checked the stone pieces and found some vines and stone grapes on the floor.

"My bad, Dionysus," he said quietly.

To her side, two guys stood up, ran over to Percy and rammed him into the wall. Dakota also sprang up and drew her sword and pointed it at his chest.

"Who are you?" she asked, raising her voice. "How did you get here?"

"Wait," he said quickly. "You're making a mistake, let me go and I will explain."

"Explain now!" shouted Dakota. "Your weapons rejected you. Hard. That can only mean two things. Either you didn't pass your tests and you are not worthy to be here, or you are an enemy who snuck here some other way. Now answer me!"

"Let me go first. I can't talk while my head's being pushed into the wall," answered Percy angrily.

"I've already told you!" shouted Dakota, "I-

But Percy wasn't asking. He took advantage of the fact that one of the guys turned back to wait for instructions and he elbowed him on the side of the head, sending him sprawling. He then ducked a punch from the other guy and kneed him right in the stomach, bringing him down without any air. He then jumped and, as he stepped back and away from the other campers, he uncapped his pen, revealing his bronze sword. He pointed it at them for a second, looking menacing.

Reyna considered him gravely as she brought her own swords forward. "You can't fight all of us," she said softly. "Put your weapon down, Percy."

Percy looked at the warriors before him, some fifteen of them, all bringing out their own weapons, looking angry. He had a feeling he might be able to take them with a lot of luck or that he could get away if he wanted to. But that wouldn't accomplish anything.

"In a second," he said, still pointing his sword. "Just give me a second to explain. I suspected this might happen. I can't yet be a member of _Castra Roma. _I didn't pass my tests fully, I am here on probation."

"Probation?" said one of the guys on the side. "You've got to be kidding." He then looked at his leader, with an eager expression. "Dakota," he said, "let's just take him down, he'll be telling the truth after a couple of days with me, I promise."

"Wait," said Dakota, raising her arm. She eyed his bronze sword with a very concentrated look on her eyes, like she recognized it. "What do you mean probation?" she asked intently.

"It's just that my tests, they um, they didn't go that well. I got through them and everything but I messed up. I didn't pass like I was supposed to. When I came back, Aeneas and Roma got into a fight over me, Aeneas wanted to kick me out but Roma insisted that I should be allowed into camp."

"That can't be right," said another girl from the back. "Aeneas and Roma almost never show themselves during tests and you're telling us that both of them talked to you? I don't believe it. They wouldn't show up, not for a newbie like you."

"I swear!" said Percy. "And they couldn't agree if I should get in or not, so they called in Vesta so that she could settle the issue. It was her that said that I could enter camp but on probation. I'm supposed to prove myself or something. That's why I didn't want to take the weapons, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to."

"Why did Roma want you in here?" asked Dakota again. "Aeneas can be unpredictable and he is sometimes rash. Roma is much more centered, what did she say?"

"Well, she said that I had shown courage and loyalty and that the test was unfair, that it had been made for me to fail and that Aeneas hadn't taken into account… my origins."

"All right…" said Dakota slowly. "That might be true, but you're not helping your case Percy. You just attacked two superior officers and you are facing your _praetor_, sword drawn. If you really want to be here, on probation or not, then PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPON."

Percy sighed and transformed his sword back into its regular form. "OK," he said. "So, what now?"

"Now you come with me," said Dakota. "We're going to the _praetorium. _There are some things we have to talk about. Alone."

"What about me?" asked Jamie suddenly. "I want to go too!"

"No!" said Dakota, harshly. "Joshua, take Jamie to Alexa. She will show her around camp and give her the basic tour. You are not to go anywhere near the _praetorium._ That is an order!"

A guy grabbed Jamie's arm and almost dragged her outside. The last thing she saw was Percy getting his hands tied behind his back and taken away by two guys with very unfriendly looks on their faces.

**So, chapter 12. Reviews would be fantastic. Sorry for the late update but I was distracted reading the 39 clues (I just finished it) and because down here things have been a political nightmare. Anyway, next chapter's gonna be huge. Fights, new characters, Jamie's mother and maybe… a prophecy. I'll try to get it up by next weekend.**


	13. Chapter 13  The Third Degree

**Hi guys. First of all, an apology. I think it's been over a month since I last posted even though I said I'd try to get the next chapter up soon. The reason is that I'm in college (yes, I'm old) and I work, which means that sometimes I don't have as much free time as I'd like. I am currently in the middle of my finals and the two weeks before this one were just crazy in tests and projects so I was completely out of it. And then I got four horrible reviews from this guy called Tenages that got me really mad and, after that, I kind of didn't feel like writing at all. That's all over now and I'm back. I'll be on holiday from college soon and I won't be working for a while so I'll have more time for the story. **

**Also, I'll be visiting the US in a couple of weeks, going to the harry potter theme park and then to NY. Should be awesome. Anything you recommend I see?**

**I haven't heard from Bornlucky101 in a while, hope you're still out there. Thanks to xFireStar, Katherine, FutureOlympian, scizor king, fayfazee, pennameless, wisegirl and tychus for the reviews and also all the silent readers out there.**

**Chapter 13 – Percy destroys the praetorium (temporary title)**

"It's over," thought Percy as Dakota tied him to a chair, tightening the knot with way more force than was really necessary. The praetor looked absolutely furious and seemed ready to toss him into prison and throw the key into the sea. The girls behind her, Reyna and another girl he did not know, did not look any friendlier. They had their swords drawn and were pointing them at his chest, their expressions firm and unforgiving.

He had been taken to a dimly lit room that appeared to be an office. There was a grand wooden desk in front of him, littered with scrolls and parchments and the walls were covered with weapons and paintings depicting great battles and long gone victories. He studied these paintings carefully, until he found one that left him staring for a few moments. It showed the picture of a girl with blue eyes and black hair standing on a ridge and ordering her troops to advance. Until the day before, that picture would have meant nothing to him, just the recreation of another war like all the others in the room. Except that after his experience in the mountain, he thought he could recognize the girl and the setting. It was Rebecca, the praetorof _Castra Roma _in 1863, the one who had ordered him to fight their blue-clad enemies, and she was standing on the very ridge where Aeneas had taken him at the beginning of his test.

As he continued scanning the room he recognized something else. Right behind the grand desk in the office, there was a sword hung upon the wall, a long cross-shaped broadsword that stretched almost to the ceiling. That very same broadsword had been hanging at the Roman command centre in his test and, if he was not mistaken, the Centurion Zach had taken it to battle after he had shouldered him inside the camp's main tent. He wondered if there was any significance to the blade and to whom it belonged now.

Dakota finished tightening the ropes around his arms and stood up. She then brought another chair from a corner of the room and placed it very close to him before sitting down, her knees almost touching with his.

"Percy Jackson," she said slowly, "is that your real name?"

"Yes," he replied.

"What is Camp Half-Blood?" she asked again.

A strange feeling took over Percy, like someone had suddenly let loose a thousand butterflies inside his stomach. He had no idea what she was talking about but the answer seemed to be on the tip of his tongue, just outside his reach, like when he had tried to remember where he knew Vesta from. He racked his brains looking for the answer and he actually closed his eyes, trying to concentrate.

Dakota's voice broke his focus. "It's on your shirt," she said. "Camp Half-Blood. Is that where you're from?"

Percy opened his eyes and looked down at his shirt. He wondered why he had never done that before, when it seemed like such an obvious thing to do. But, really, he hadn't had much time to take in his appearance, ever since he'd woken up it had been one fight after the other, one risk followed by another adventure and his clothes had been the last concern on his mind. Now, looking down, he could see the shirt had once been bright orange, with letters branded on its front. The words were dirty, ripped and faded and you couldn't distinguish anything on it unless you looked for it. But once you did, you couldn't miss it, there on his chest, like he was a walking billboard for the world, were the words CAMP HALF-BLOOD.

"I… I don't know," he said honestly. "It's just a shirt."

Dakota's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything. She approached him slowly and stretched her hand forward. Percy tensed as she was about to touch him but she just reached into his shirt and, with a wrench she snapped a necklace from him, a string with four beads on it, a trident, a fleece, a maze and the Empire State Building.

"What is this?" asked Dakota, dangling the string in front of his face. Percy felt a desperate urge to take the necklace back from her and he actually pulled desperately at his bonds, making the knot ease a bit and the wooden chair groan in complaint. But he restrained himself in time and looked carefully at each of the small symbols he had carried along with him, trying to remember.

"I… don't know," he said again. "I don't know what they mean. They're just beads."

Dakota sighed and passed the necklace along to Reyna. "You know, you're not helping your case Percy," she said. Percy tensed and his chair made a strong creaking sound, as if it were about to break.

"What weapons do you have on you?" asked Reyna suddenly, eyeing his bindings. "That's twice you've sprung that sword on us and it won't happen again, I want you unarmed."

Percy decided that honesty was the best strategy for the moment, so he answered truthfully. "Just my sword and shield," he said. "The first takes the form of a pen and it's inside my right jacket pocket. My shield spirals out of my watch."

Reyna silently took his weapons from him and handed them over to Dakota. She uncapped the pen and watched it transform into the deadly three foot sword made of bronze and then activated the mechanism on his watch, making the large shield appear before them. The praetor laid the shield down on the table and examined the blade.

"There is something written on the sword," she said looking closely at one of the sword's sides, "Ava… something weird." She stopped for a second squinting her eyes at the words, before putting the sword close to Percy's eyes. "What does it mean?" she asked.

Percy saw the words written on the red metal. Αναζήτηση. The answer came to him like someone had hit him across the face with a bag full of quarters. "Anaklusmos," he said with the small jolt of happiness that came with every recovered memory. The three girls looked at him with blank expressions, so he continued. "It means Riptide."

"In what language?" asked the third girl.

Percy doubted for a second, but again the answer came with certainty from the depths of his mind. "It's Ancient Greek," he said simply.

Dakota frowned at his answer but didn't say anything again and she raised her hand to stop the other girls from questioning him further. She took his shield from the table and examined it, passing her hand over its surface, feeling the grooves and rises that created its images, like a blind person reading Braille, as if she could understand the shield's history just by touching it.

Suddenly, she threw the shield to the ground and, grabbing Percy's own sword, she bashed it with all her strength, right in the middle of the pictures she'd been admiring. The shield resonated with a large gong and trembled on the ground.

"What are you doing?" shouted Percy. "Are you crazy?"

Dakota kneeled and examined both the sword's edge and the shield before answering. "What are these weapons made of?" she asked. "This isn't common bronze. If it were, either the sword or the shield would have been dented by that strike, and they are both intact. There was no magic protecting them either."

Percy hesitated for a second. He knew his sword wasn't an ordinary weapon, besides the fact that it transformed out of a pen, but he had no clue what it was made of. "I don't know," he said again, thinking he must sound pretty stupid by now. "It's just special."

"So you just happen to be carrying a magical sword and shield that you can expertly handle," said Dakota, "but you don't know what they are made of? Where did you get them?"

"All right, listen," said Percy desperately. "The truth is, I don't remember anything. I woke up three days ago with Liam and Jamie at a school in San Francisco with no memory of where I came from. The only things that I had with me were the pen and the watch. So far, I have been able to survive out of instinct, not that I actually remember learning to fight with a sword, or remember how to read Ancient Greek."

"Amnesia," said Dakota angrily. "That's how you want to play this. Do you think we're idiots?"

"It's the truth!" said Percy, "I swear, you can ask Liam or Jamie, or even that satyr Garret if he's still alive. I came here to see if I could find out who I was. And I know I'm close, both Aeneas and Vesta told me they knew who I was, but they wouldn't give me any details, I know that if I stay here, I'll find out more."

"I'm done with your lying," said Reyna harshly. "You're going to tell me the truth." Then, without warning, she ran over and pushed him with such force that his chair fell backwards and he crashed on his arms and hit his head against the ground. She drew her sword and put it to his neck.

"Where is Jason?" she yelled.

"Who?"

"Jason! What have you done with him?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Stop lying! Where are you keeping him?"

Dakota tried to grab Reyna but she used her free arm to shove her away with incredible strength, making her crash against the desk. Percy struggled frantically against his bindings and felt them loosening slightly, if he could just get his hand out…

"Where is he?" she asked again. "You know something! Answer me!"

"I don't know! I swear…"

Reyna raised her sword, the tip hovering just six inches above his heart, as if she were about to run him through. He pulled at the ropes with all of his strength and he felt his hands coming free, he was almost there.

"I will run you through, Percy" said Reyna menacingly. "You have three seconds to tell me what you know. One… two…" she let the number hang in the air for an instant and then, "THREE!"

Reyna extended her arm with incredible speed, but just as the sword started coming down towards his chest, Percy's hand broke free from his ropes. As fast as he could, he swung his fist towards Reyna's face, hoping to throw her off of him and divert her sword. As he punched, he summoned all of his willpower and his determination to survive, and in that moment, while his fist charged towards her face and her sword flew towards his chest, he felt a huge tug on his stomach, stronger than the one he had felt when he had fallen from the cliff and he knew that he had called upon that incredible power that had saved his life once before.

But it was all too late. The golden sword came down faster than lightning in a strike that would kill him instantly. Percy held his breath and steeled his nerves, expecting the pain the strike would cause him. But the sword missed his body by a millimeter and sunk into the ground in the small space between his chest and his right arm. Too late, Percy realized that Reyna had wanted to scare the answers out of him and he looked up and saw that there were tears in her eyes, and disappointment.

But it was too late to stop himself. His fist crashed into the side of her face, throwing her off of him and sending her flying into an arm stand on his left, where she dropped to the floor, unconscious. At the same time, the ground started to tremble with the incredible magnitude of an earthquake. The shockwave caused by the earthquake threw the remaining girls to the floor. But the rumbling continued, gaining in power and destroying everything around them. Paintings fell from the walls, the floor cracked open, the desk overturned, all the weapons along the walls and on the various stands started falling and clattering to the ground, the bookshelves fell over, dirt and pieces of marble and stone started falling from the ground. And then, like it were happening in slow motion, the great broadsword that Percy had admired before unfastened and fell, point first, impaling itself in the middle of the desk in the middle of the room, a foot in front of Percy.

Percy felt a strong desire to wrench the sword out of the desk, but it seemed like the whole building was about to crumble to the ground and he realized they had to get out of there before they were crushed to death. He jumped up, freed his other hand from the chair and grabbed Riptide and his shield. Before the other girls could react, he grabbed Reyna and put her on his shoulder, holding her with his shield arm. But, seeing him taking their friend, Dakota and the other girl instantly sprang up and drew their weapons.

"Let her go," said the other girl.

"We need to get out of here!" yelled Percy.

Without waiting for a reply, the girl jumped towards him, brandishing her blade. Percy dodged and ran outside, hoping that the girls would follow him before the whole building collapsed. He ran down the hallway, avoiding rocks and portraits, with both girls close on his heels. He burst through the front door and turned just in time to see Dakota ready to attack him and he managed to raise Riptide in time to parry the incoming slash and then…

"ENOOOUGH!" bellowed someone behind him. It was a yell, or perhaps a roar, and it made Percy freeze in his tracks. It wasn't just the voice's strength that had made him stop; the order given to him had such conviction behind it that it had erased any thought previously held in his head, so that all that remained in his mind was the order and the drive to obey it. Everything stopped then, the fighting, the wind and even the earthquake ceased its rumbling, preventing the building from finally coming down. Percy turned around and saw who the speaker was.

Standing behind him, there was a huge, white and grey she-wolf, staring at him. She was at least seven feet tall while sitting down, with white hair and streaks of dark grey adorning her side here and there. She looked furious and was staring at him, straight in the eyes. Both Dakota and the other girl kneeled reverently, their heads bowed and looking towards the floor. Percy looked around and, for the first time, he noticed that a crowd had gathered outside the building, if it was because of the earthquake or because of the wolf's arrival, he couldn't tell, and that all of them were kneeling as well. Percy wasn't sure what to do, and he definitely didn't want to kneel, so he just stood there, staring back at the wolf. They remained that way for several seconds, neither of them looking away from the other, and Percy got the feeling that something was expected of him, that the she-wolf was giving him yet another test. He studied her and felt that, truly, some measure of respect was due to her, as mistress of Castra Roma, so he carefully placed Reyna on the ground, and bowed to her, without dropping his guard.

After that, the she-wolf broke eye contact and walked forward. As she made her way towards him, she was covered by a soft white light and she transformed into a tall woman, dressed in white. She had grey hair and a stern face, and she looked very similar to Roma, except she had wolfish features and she looked older, fiercer and stricter in character than the goddess had been. She walked slowly up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

She studied him carefully for a second and said the words that would mark his whole stay in Castra Roma.

"You really shouldn't be here, Perseus Jackson."

**Hi guys. Short chapter, I know. More soon, after I finish my finals (Monday). I know there were no claimings or propechies in this chapter, but soon, I promise. **

**Anyway, bye. Reviews would be very much appreciated.**


	14. Chapter 14  Lupa

**Hi everyone, here's the next chapter. In the end, my trip to the US got cancelled which sucked big time but I travelled up the whole coast of Peru (my home country) which was fantastic. And, I finally got inspired for the next chapter. **

**As always, big thanks to all readers and reviewers and sorry for the delay. Hope you had fun on your trip Katherine.**

**Chapter 14 – Lupa's advice**

"Come," said Lupa. "Dakota, Perseus, follow me. There are some things you must know." She paused for a second and spared a glance to the huge group of demigods gathered behind her, waiting for orders. "The rest of you," she barked loudly, "back to work!"

The crowd gave a unified sigh and with a feeling of collective resignation, the many demigods turned around and left in different directions. Percy managed to see Jamie and Liam among a group of teenagers dressed in purple but they looked somber and they simply stared intently at him before they were gently driven away from the lawn.

Lupa then walked away, not in the direction of the broken down _praetorium_, where some bricks were hanging loose and rocks were still rolling softly to the ground, but instead she took the road that led towards the southeast corner of camp. Percy followed her silently, with Dakota by his side, feeling strangely the same way he'd felt when he'd followed Mr. Milkgoat into the school basement for detention. They made their way through the southeast area until they were standing before the two buildings where kids were going in with books and musical instruments. The buildings were so large that they seemed to make one of the sides of _Castra Roma_, a straight line between the east wall and the south wall, leaving a small triangle of land concealed behind them.

With a small glance at them, the she wolf took a narrow path that led between the two buildings, with both structures standing tall on either side of them. The path was so cramped and the walls angled in such a way that Percy felt weirdly that he was far away from the Bay Area and that he was walking down a city alley somewhere else he knew quite well. But before he could pinpoint any exact location, they made it past the walls and Percy was shocked when he saw a miniature forest appear in front of them. It wasn't very large, no bigger than a square mile, but it was a relief in a place that otherwise seemed like a military industrial complex.

Lupa guided them into the trees and they soon reached a quiet river that flowed lazily in front of them. Percy heard the water moving and recognized it; it was the same body of water they had jumped into the day before, the same one that had guided him through the mountain. In the middle of the river, there was a very small boat-shaped island, decorated with some trees and statues and connected to the mainland by two wooden bridges, one on either side_. _In the middle of the island there was a strange monument, a water fountain with a small statue behind it, showing Roma standing over Lupa, who was lying down and tending to a couple of human children that seemed to be crying.

When they reached the island, Lupa transformed again into her wolf form and then she looked perfectly in place in the middle of nature. For a moment, looking at her and at the setting, Percy felt himself completely removed from the present. The place had a sense of timelessness, as had the wolf before him, so that it seemed as if the very location was paralyzed and unaffected by the passage of time, like every rock and tree and bird had been there, unchanged, since the foundation of Rome.

Lupa paced around the island before turning to look at him. When she spoke, no sound was uttered, it was as if she was thinking aloud and her thoughts could be registered by all those present. "These woods remained here at the request of the fauns," she said. "A small sanctuary for nature, a place where the Wild can still be felt, a forest in the corner of camp. But it isn't just that, this place has a significance of its own. Perseus, do you know where we are?"

"My name is Percy," he answered at first, with an unfamiliar quirk of annoyance. "And… no," he continued more seriously, "there is something special about this place, I can feel it but I don't know what it is, I don't understand it."

"When the gods move from one place to the other," replied Lupa, "the important locations move as well. Olympus is now in New York, Pluto is in Los Angeles. But here, we are in Rome, Percy, the capital of our empire. And this particular place is of the utmost importance to our city. This is, for all the power of the gods, the river Tiber and this island is the very place where the river god Tiberinus put Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, into my care."

"Right…"

"This isn't just a historic detail Percy; this place is the heart of Rome's power. Just like the thrones in Olympus are the anchor to the god's power in the world, this forest, and in particular this statue, is Roma and my own anchor and it must be protected at all costs." She walked over and surveyed the water fountain and the small statue of herself. "If it were destroyed, Roma and I would fade, and the spirit of Rome would fade with us. There is no way to tell what the effects would be, but it could unravel everything _Castra Roma _is made of, it could end us."

"So why have you brought me here? And why are you telling me this?" asked Percy.

"This is the place where my power runs strongest," replied Lupa. "Lord Jupiter has ordered me to remain in Olympus and I am currently disobeying him. He is… preoccupied… at the moment, but when he realizes I am gone, he will search for me. Here, I can avoid his eyes, even if only for a few minutes."

"But why?" said Percy. "Why take such a risk?"

"To give my final orders to _Castra Roma_," she answered, "and because the Cumaean Sybil came to me and told me that the future would depend on me giving you a word of advice and an order." She walked back from the statue in the middle of the island and stood close to the _praetor._

"Dakota," she saidsuddenly andwith utter seriousness, "while I am gone and until Jason is found, you will be the commanding officer in _Castra Roma_. War will soon be upon us and it will be like nothing we have ever seen. You must make sure they are prepared, either to mobilize north or to sustain an attack against our very fortress."

"An attack?" said Dakota. "Here? None of the reports have given any evidence…"

"It has happened before!" said Lupa violently, cutting her off and obviously angry at being contradicted. "It could happen again. You must be ready."

"Yes, ma'am," said Dakota quickly.

"Also," continued the she-wolf, a strange expression taking over her face. "Do you remember the plan that we discussed when Jason first disappeared?"

"You mean the one Hazel came up with?"

"Yes," said Lupa. "Carry it out. And no one must know about it."

Dakota looked shocked. "Are, are you sure, Lupa?" she asked, her voice shaking a little bit. "I mean, we're not even sure if…"

"Yes," said Lupa firmly, cutting her off again. "It is the only way."

Lupa paced a bit more around the island and they shared a meaningful look before the she-wolf turned again to Percy. "As to this young man here," she continued, "he is telling the truth about his memory and his entrance into _Castra Roma." _The she-wolf then walked to him and stood an inch from his face, "I will be blunt Percy, I don't like you and I don't want you in my city. I would rather have you cast away as Aeneas wanted to, or see you killed. But I have spoken with Vesta and Roma myself and he was truly accepted here on probation."

"But what does that mean?" asked Dakota. "There's never been any demigod here on probation, what's he supposed to do?"

"He is, for all terms and purposes, an outsider," replied Lupa. "He can be a camper here but he will not be made part of the Legion, he will be unable to gain in rank, he won't be given any privileged information and, of course, his training will be particularly… erm… intense."

"Isn't that a bit unfair?" asked Percy, suddenly. "How am I supposed to be a camper and not be in the Legion? I will be left out of everything!

"Yes," said Lupa simply, ignoring him. "As to his cabin, you must have realized that he is a son of the Earthshaker but…"

"WHAT?" cried out Dakota. "Neptune? But the Big…

"BUT HE WILL NOT BE CLAIMED," said Lupa, running over whatever Dakota was going to say, "that already happened once and it will not happen again. So you can do whatever you want with him, you can tell the other campers about his lineage or not, you can put him in Cabin Three or with Mercury Cabin or in the middle of the woods. It doesn't really matter."

"A son of Neptune," said Dakota, her eyes shining suddenly bright with interest. "I will see it done, ma'am."

At that moment, there was a rumble of thunder in the air and they all looked up towards the sky, only to see it darkening quickly over _Castra Roma_. "Lord Jupiter has noticed my absence," said Lupa. "It won't be long before he finds me. Percy, I still have to give you a word of advice and an order. Do you know what a Pyrrhic victory is?

"No," he answered quickly.

Lupa shook her head with exasperation before explaining. "When Rome was young," she said, "Pyrrhus was the Greek King of Epirus, a land to the northwest of Greece. He invaded Italy, heading directly for Rome. My people rose to the challenge and a great battle was fought between both armies at Heraclea. In that battle, the Romans were defeated and King Pyrrhus took the field. However, at the end of the day, he surveyed what he had won and what he had lost and he was dismayed. When his generals approached him to congratulate him on his victory, Pyrrhus replied 'another victory such as this, my generals, and I will be utterly undone.'"

"But he did win, didn't he?" said Percy.

"Yes," said Lupa, "he took the battlefield, but the victory had a devastating cost to him, so much that another victory such as that one would have ultimately caused defeat. So, you have to wonder, did he really win that day? What does it mean to win a battle? And that's my piece of advice to you, Percy. To win, you don't always have to win."

"What?" said Percy. "That is just plain…"

"Before the year is out," Lupa interrupted him, "you will remember this story and live it again. You are very much like Pyrrhus, young man, willing to sacrifice all in a fight, but you must remember that a victory is worthless if you lose everything to obtain it. The Romans knew that lesson well and Pyrrhus had to learn it the hard way. Make sure you take after the true winner in that battle."

Percy didn't say anything and simply nodded. "You also said you had an order for me," he replied.

"Yes," said Lupa. "You will…"

In that moment, a great rumble filled the sky and lightning came down crashing in the spot between Lupa and Percy. He was blasted away from the island, landing in the river, which cushioned his fall. He looked back towards Lupa and saw that her hair had been singed and that she had been thrown to the ground.

"I must leave," she said gravely. "I wish I had more time to explain, but my order to you is two-fold. First, protect _Castra Roma _over everything and anyone, even those you love. Remember that the needs of the many will always outweigh the needs of the few. And second, don't be a prisoner to a past you do not know. You know who you are even if you don't know how you got there, so start over again and build on that. One day you will recover your memories but until then, live in the present."

And with that, the she-wolf turned around and galloped away. She jumped gracefully over the river and disappeared into the woods. Percy would not see her again for a very, very long time.

**Hope you liked it. Please review.**


	15. Chapter 15  A day in the Legion

**Hey guys. Here's chapter 15, hope you like it. I didn't get that many reviews last chapter, I hope I'm not losing my style. Let me know what you think of this one!**

**Chapter 15 – **

Liam stood on the very edge of the western wall, holding on to the ramparts with one hand and allowing the left side of his body to hang high over the wall, looking out to the horizon in the late afternoon. He felt the wind billowing in his face and sensed his body swinging gently in the air whilst he watched the sun sinking softly into the ocean. It was calming after everything that had happened and it relaxed enough to think about everything that had happened that day.

After Dean had walked him out of the sanctuary, he had offered to show him everything about _Castra Roma_ and to teach him what it meant to be a child of Apollo. They had then headed towards the southwest corner of camp, where all of the cabins were, so that he could see the place where he'd be sleeping and so that he could meet, and this was something he still had to process, his many brothers and sisters.

The cabin was a largish building, constructed more for efficiency than for comfort. On the outside it looked almost exactly like all the other cabins in the area, being distinguishable only by the symbol of Apollo, with its two proud bows shining over the front door. As soon as you got past the threshold, you were met with a large common room, complete with a bookshelf and some couches for reading, as well as some posters and equipment scattered around the room. From the walls there were bulls' eyes hanging, with darts and other projectiles sticking out of them and in the furthest corner of the room there were a number of musical instruments and sheets thrown about, including guitars, violins, a complete drum set and even some lyres.

On the far side of the wall, there was a corridor that went deeper into the cabin, with several doors on either side. The first door on the left led into a room filled with bunk beds, clearly meant for the girls by the decorations he managed to see and the yells that shouted him out when he tried to go inside. The first door on the right led to the guy's room, also filled with bunk beds and into which he entered comfortably. Both rooms were sparsely decorated and neatly ordered, with only some pictures and an occasional poster, but the whole cabin felt warm and welcoming when he was assigned the bunk furthest from the door and especially when he was given a fresh set of clothes and the chance to wash up and change.

Back in the common room, now dressed in a purple shirt and new pair of jeans, Liam met most of his extended family. Over two dozen kids welcomed him, patted him on the back and made fun of him with the good nature of an older brother giving the younger kid a hard time. For the first time in days, Liam felt his shoulders slump in relaxation and he actually had some fun, cracking jokes with these new kids while feeling like he were making friends with strangers but at the same time that he was reuniting with people he should have known long ago.

When the introductions and jokes were over, he was taken all the way down the center corridor, past several rooms, to a final door that was guarded by one of his brothers in full battle armor. Beyond the door there was a long flight of stairs that led to an ample but dark basement, littered here and there with more doors.

"Where do those lead?" asked Liam.

The cabin leader, a guy called Marcus Mumford, had come down with him and Dean, and he answered. "Beneath _Castra Roma_," he said, "there are tunnels that connect the different cabins, but they also branch out and twist and turn in a huge maze. It isn't as treacherous or as large as Dedalus', but maybe more mysterious."

"How so?" said Liam.

"The maze is ancient," said Marcus. "Over the years it has been used to hide things, as escape routes, to communicate between cabins. It has been enlarged, destroyed, blocked, forbidden and reopened many times. There are many secrets and things that were lost down there, from previous campers, by Lupa, some say even by the gods. When I first got here I was told there are catacombs, with the remains of the demigods that died in the early Roman wars."

"Cool," said Liam. "Can you get to them?"

"I have no idea if they even exist," replied Marcus. "You can easily get lost down there and some of the rooms are guarded by monsters or spells. Many campers have never come back from the maze and we now only go down for some special forms of training or to go to rooms that we know the way for. Every cabin leader has a map of the maze with the locations and routes we know, but the maps are incomplete and the maze is tricky to navigate, so we mostly stay out of it."

"But that sounds like something we should check out," said Liam, "I'm not much for going underground, but shouldn't we at least make sure of what's down there?"

"It's been tried before," answered Dean, "and it's never ended well. A camper died there last year and since then it's been off bounds unless a cabin leader officially requests permission from Lupa. But it's weird, it's almost as if Lupa doesn't want us going down there, we have requested to go down a couple of times and been denied. Anyway, don't worry about it, there's never been a threat to camp from the tunnels, and the only creatures down there are stuck guarding their rooms, they won't leave."

"Right…" said Liam, quite unconvinced and slightly worried.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence before Dean said they should get going because there was still a lot more to see. They left the cabin and walked over to the battlegrounds where Dean explained how the children of Apollo trained for war.

"There are two types of training," he said, "there's your personal training and then there's Legion training. Legion training always comes first in the day and it involves two parts, physical training and weapons training. For physical training, every morning you'll get up bright and early for a 10 or 20 mile run, depending on Lupa's and your commanding officer's mood. After that, we hit the swimming pool and then the gym, where you'll practice long jump, high jump, sprints and other assorted sports until you feel like your legs and arms are about drop. Of course, this routine will change a lot depending on the day and on what your cabin leader wants you to work on. In your case, you look like a skinny chimpanzee so I expect you'll be spending a lot of time in the gym."

"Thanks a lot, mate," murmured Liam and then in a softer voice, "you look like the north end of a south-bound mule but you don't hear me complaining, do you?"

Dean grinned but pretended not to hear and simply continued. "When weapons' training comes around at 10:30 a.m. sharp, you'll learn how to use a sword, a spear and a shield. Also, once you have defined what your weapon of choice will be, where I expect you'll choose our usual combo of bow and sword, there'll be group training. In group training, you'll learn how to march, how to move in formation, what our strategies are, how to defend during a siege, how to spearhead, etc. This is one of the most important parts because it will define what your position will be in the army and that determines your career in the Legion, so be sure to give it your best during group training."

"Sounds like fun," said Liam. "Then what?"

"Then there's lunch and a couple of hours for rest. You'll be starving by then, so you'll probably spend most of your time eating but, really, lunch is free time, you can do whatever you want until 3:30 p.m."

"Nap-time, definitely," said Liam.

"Probably," he said and laughed while he motioned for them to keep on moving.

They walked away from the battlegrounds and over to the southeast corner of camp, where the learning and music buildings gleamed in the sunlight. "In the afternoon," continued Dean, "the schedule varies a lot. Some days you'll have to go to the learning grounds for lessons in Latin, history, etc. But on most days, the afternoon is reserved for your personal training, for you to develop those abilities that are inherent to you, depending on who is your godly parent and your own preferences."

"So you can do anything you want?" said Liam

"Yes, but don't think you can goof off in the afternoon. Cabin leaders, the praetor, not to mention Lupa will check up on you, so you'd better do something useful or you'll get into trouble and trust me you do not want Lupa on your case for laziness.

"What do you do in the afternoons?" asked Liam.

"Well, I go to the learning grounds twice a week to study. Then, on most afternoons you'll find me at the archery range practicing with different long range weapons. Sometimes I go to the forges so I can work on the making of magical arrows and test them out with the children of Vulcan."

"Don't you ever play music?" said Liam, walking over to the building with a melody coming out of it, "isn't Apollo also the god of music?"

"Yeah," said Dean, "but that's not for me. Apollo is also the god of medicine and I'm also not crazy for healing, not compared to some of the others in the cabin. Even though we're all children of Apollo, not all gifts and preferences are evenly distributed; some are better archers, some better healers, some are all-round and so forth. For me, it's archery, all the way. Between me and Marcus, we fight over who's the best in the cabin. He beat me in the last tournament, but I'll get him this time around, I swear, I've been practicing like crazy and he's getting overconfident."

"Ok…," said Liam , "but there's no problem with me going over to the music building and playing, right?"

"Yeah, sure," said Dean, "but I wouldn't recommend it. Most children of Apollo will go there every once in a while, some more than others, but to tell you the truth, the music building is the least used facility in the whole of _Castra Roma._"

"Why?" asked Liam.

"Because there isn't much use for music, at least not in battle. Every child of Apollo has some control over sound, that's why we can use sonic arrows in battle but music in itself won't help you in a fight, not unless you're a music master and we haven't seen one of those for something like four hundred years."

"You haven't seen one of what now?" asked Liam.

"Oh yeah," said Dean. "It is an extremely rare gift, but every once in a while, a child of Apollo is born that can fuse magic into music and use it for all kinds of incredible things."

"Like what?

"You ever heard of Orpheus?" asked Dean.

"Yeah, sure," said Liam. "When his wife was killed he went down to the Underworld and tried to bring her back, but Pluto told him not to look back as he walked to the surface and when he did, his wife died all over again. It's a very sad story."

"Yes," said Dean, "but you missed out that he was an incredible musician. He got to the Underworld by playing music to the earth and making it open up for him and the entrance he made can still be used. He got his wife back by playing music to the Lord of the Dead himself and charming him into allowing Eurydice to come back to life, something that had never happened before and hasn't happened since. When his wife died, it's been said that the music he played was so filled with grief that every god in Olympus cried. He was the very first music master."

"And what would a music master be able to do? If another one was born."

"We're not really sure, they're supposed to be able to control people's moods, inspire them, scare them and so forth. They can create visions, confuse opponents and the most powerful ones would be able to control wild animals and even monsters. Orpheus was able to influence even the gods, so I think there is really no limit to what you could do with that kind of talent. But don't think on it too much, there have only been a couple of music masters in history and Lupa thinks they are extinct now."

"Right," said Liam. "It's just that… woah!"

A great rumbling began as an earthquake shook the ground violently. Liam turned and saw the _praetorium_ in the center of camp starting to crumble and some of the beams and columns that supported it starting to snap. He ran towards it, with Dean right by his side and he arrived in time to see Percy running desperately out of the building just as it looked about to come down. After a small standoff, Liam saw Percy leave with Lupa and Dakota and he tried to follow them back to the southeast corner of camp but he was quickly ordered to stay put. After that, there was such a commotion between the cabin leaders and senior campers that Dean simply told him that he was too late to join in any of the ongoing activities and that he had the afternoon off, as long as he reported back at the cabin at sunset.

And so, he had wandered about camp without much purpose, watching the other kids go about their activities and responsibilities. He had first gone down to the archery range where he'd been itching to try out the bows, but had rather watched with amazement at the precision and aim that his brothers and sisters showed and thought he'd rather wait to be taught instead of making a fool of himself by shooting uninstructed and accidentally killing someone.

He walked away from the battlegrounds and made his way back to the music building. He found it completely empty as no one had returned to it after the events in the _praetorium _and he walked around, looking with curiosity and excitement at the different instruments thrown about. Ever since he'd been small, he'd been interested in music, how to read it, play it, its history and its theory. But his mother couldn't afford to put him in lessons and his grandfather would hear nothing of it because he thought it would only distract him from "the important things in life." So all he'd managed to get was some guitar lessons from this old guy at a pub a few blocks from his mother's flat. It hadn't been for more than a couple of months but he'd quickly turned into a pretty decent guitar player and he'd even managed to play some live shows at the pub when the crowd was low. The manager had thought he was fantastic and Liam was quite sure he could've gotten a regular gig there if he hadn't been sent to the States for the summer.

Now, walking down the empty halls of the music building, he remembered being up on the small West London stage and how happy he'd been. He picked up a dusty acoustic guitar from a stand in a side room and sat down on the building's empty stage. With a small pang of homesickness, he plucked the strings gently, playing some random notes that hung in the air. A few seconds later he chose the last song he'd heard live in the pub in London and he was about to start when he was suddenly interrupted by a loud, shrill and angry voice.

"What do you think you're doing?" yelled a small girl from across the room.

Liam was so startled by the girl's sudden appearance that he almost dropped the guitar to the ground.

"Nothing," he said immediately, standing up. "I was just leaving." Liam quickly jumped off stage and was about to leave the guitar on the floor when the girl spoke again.

"No, wait, I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to scare you out, but you're not supposed to touch that guitar. Reyna could get upset."

"Reyna?" said Liam, with disbelief.

"Yeah," said the little girl. "That's Jason's guitar. You're not supposed to play it."

"The guy who's missing," said Liam. "Reyna's boyfriend."

"Yes," said the girl. "He had only just started to play when he disappeared, couldn't pick out a song yet, but I think Reyna would freak if she knew someone took his guitar."

"Sorry, I didn't know," replied Liam, "I just got here today. I'm Liam, by the way."

"Maria," she answered simply, "nice to meet you."

"Do you come here often?" asked Liam, curious after what Dean had told him about the music building.

"As often as I can," she answered. "I'm the only that comes here regularly. I love this place and singing, even though it can get lonely."

"I think I'll be dropping by quite a lot," replied Liam, "so I'll probably see you around." He paused for a second but he still felt rather startled and uncomfortable so he decided to take off for the moment. "I've got to go," he said, "it's almost sunset and I have to be back to my cabin before then."

"You still have a few minutes," said Maria. "You know, if it's your first day you should check out the sunset from the western wall. It can be really beautiful there."

Liam smiled and said goodbye to the girl. Once outside, he looked at the sky and saw that he did still have several minutes before sunset, so he decided to take her advice and headed straight for the stairs that led to the western wall. She was right, the view was beautiful and from the center of the wall there was a small crevice he could hang from and feel the wind in his face and think about the day's events. However, the sky darkened quickly and a few minutes later, he had to rush back to the Apollo cabin, getting there just before nightfall. They got themselves in formation, making two neat lines and started to march towards the southeast corner of camp, where the dining area was located.

When they arrived, he was surprised to see that the many tables had been placed right next to the amphitheatre, almost at its base. Also, to Liam's puzzlement, the tables were not divided by cabin but instead, once they got there, every kid went to a different table, with other teenagers from other cabins. They all seemed to know where they were going but it made absolutely no sense to Liam.

"Don't know which is your table?" said a voice next to him.

He turned around to see that Maria had come up to him.

"How is this organized?" he asked. "Where am I supposed to go?"

"They should've explained this to you before but I suppose that between the day's excitement and your tardiness getting back there wasn't time. The tables for lunch and dinner aren't divided by cabins but by rank."

"What are the ranks?" asked Liam.

The girl sighed. "Prepare to be bored but try to remember this because it's important," she said as she turned to the dining area and prepared to explain.

"There are five ranks in the Legion" she began, "and therefore five sections, each made up of several tables. The first and lowest rank, where you and I are going to be seated, is the _Munifex_ or, simply, the soldier. That's the leftmost and largest section over there where over half the demigods are. Then come the _Immunes_ or special soldiers, that's those guys over there. They are soldiers that have distinguished themselves as the best in a particular area or skill. If you want to get to that table you have to participate in one of the monthly competitions and get yourself into one of the top three spots."

"So anyone can be there?"

"Yeah," said Maria, "but you'll have to kick someone out to get there, so be careful who you beat, Liam, because people can be resentful. Anyway, after the _Immunes_ there come the Centurions. In the old days a Centurion would command one hundred men but that was when a Legion had over 6000 soldiers. Nowadays, there's a Centurion per cabin and they earn their position in two ways. First, they have to be one of the best in the cabin, distinguishing him or herself in every aspect the cabin is known for. Second, they have to obtain a ratifying vote from the majority of the cabin members. See Marcus there? That's your Centurion or, as they are commonly called, your cabin leader.

"It'd be cool to be a Centurion," said Liam, "get to command the cabin and all."

"Good luck with that," said Maria, laughing. "Not only do you have to work your butt off, there's also Dean and Diane fighting for that spot, so you're gonna have some harsh competition. But anyway, above the Centurions come the Tribunes who are our leaders during wartime."

"Why aren't the centurions the leaders?" asked Liam.

"The thing is, when we go to war, we don't form our divisions, or cohorts as we call them, per cabin because then you'd have some divisions with clear weaknesses. For instance, an Apollo cohort would be wicked in long range, but catch them in a melee encounter and they're doomed. So the Legion is divided to make balanced cohorts with people from every cabin. And so, in these times, the Centurions choose from among themselves the Tribunes who lead each cohort. Right now there are no Tribunes because we are not at war so, as you see, that table is empty."

"And then there's the praetor," finished Liam.

"Yes," said Maria. "The praetor eats with Lupa, when she comes to dinner, which isn't often. When she's not here, the praetor will usually eat with the Tribunes or Centurions, depending. I hope you got that, it goes Munifex, Immunes, Centurions, Tribunes and Praetor. Just remember, there's a stripe for every rank, so more stripes, more rank. You'll be fine if you remember that."

"Thanks, Maria," said Liam, "I just might've gone and sat with Marcus and messed it all up. So what cabin are you from?"

"Me?" she said. "Oh, I'm from cabin six, that's Venus cabin."

Liam stared and, for some reason, he felt himself starting to blush. For the first time, he really noticed Maria and saw that she was she was strikingly beautiful. She was shorter and younger than him, probably fourteen or fifteen, and she had long curly brown hair and light chocolate skin with huge eyes and a cute smile. Liam was out of words for a second as he tried to compose himself and think of something smart to say. Several seconds must have gone by because Maria simply laughed and said, "come on, Liam, you must be starving."

She moved away towards the first table and he followed, noticing for the first time that the girl had an accent that seemed ringed with Spanish, as if the girl were originally from somewhere in Latin America or maybe even Spain. They sat down together and ate, ordering their meal from the very air and obtaining whatever they wanted to eat, laughing and having fun with the other low-level soldiers.

Liam was having a great time at the Munifex table and he was almost finished eating when a conch shell blew in the night. Immediately, every demigod immediately stopped eating and stood up. They silently left their plates where they were and headed towards the amphitheatre.

"What's going on?" asked Liam.

"We're being summoned to the amphitheatre for an announcement, something must be going on. Go, move! ," said Maria, "and be quiet!"

They made their way to the large amphitheatre and sat on one of the stands closest to the ground. After a few seconds Liam saw Jamie coming over and she sat next to him, on his other side. He hadn't seen her during dinner, as she'd been sitting at another table in the _Munifex _section, but she didn't look too happy.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Percy hasn't showed up," she said. "He hasn't been seen since that whole thing at the praetorium. I'm worried."

Liam was about to answer when Dakota walked into the amphitheatre, with Percy and Reyna in tow. The second she took the stage, the whole room became quiet as death, waiting for their leader to speak and reveal what had been going on that day, what news there were and what could be important enough to interrupt dinner.

**Reviews would be great. By the way I think the title "music master" kinda sucks but I'm really out of creativity. So if any of you come up with a better name for the concept let me know and I'll change it for the rest of the story.**

**Also, I'm not really sure if Orpheus was a son of Apollo. I haven't found out who was actually his godly parent, so just go along with me, I'm stretching the myth a bit. Thanks.**

**See ya. WPR.**

**Review !**


	16. Chapter 16  Announcements

**Hi guys, sorry for the wait. I'm a T.A. this semester and I've been spending weekends grading papers. I'd like to give a shout out to New and Lovestoreadonline, they've been reviewing from the very start and I haven't thanked them so far. Katherine, hope you're having fun wherever you are, and that you'll be back soon. And, as always, thanks to xFireStarx and to all reviewers out there, I appreciate it.**

**candycanelover asked if I could double space the lines when I publish. I would if I could. Like any author here can tell you, documents are uploaded from Word onto FF and they have a set format. You can always zoom in by pressing Ctrl and rolling the mouse thingy. Caligurl wanted to know what's going on in Camp Half-Blood. Well, Jason's quest is halfway through… and some other stuff you'll know about soon enough, but there won't be a chapter starring Annabeth, Jason, etc.**

**Anyway, here goes.**

**Chapter 16 – Announcements**

"Soldiers!" yelled Dakota in a loud voice, immediately centering the entire amphitheatre's attention on her. She walked forward and stood a few feet ahead of Reyna and Percy, who remained quietly behind her, looking at the ground. There was a small rustle of discomfort, as people shifted in their seats and leaned forward in interest, questions popping in their heads like fireworks. Dakota gathered her thoughts for a few instants, her face serious, before addressing them.

"Lupa has been summoned to Olympus," she said forcefully and clearly, "and she will not be returning anytime soon. As of this afternoon, and until her return, I am the commanding officer in _Castra Roma_ and all officers will report to me_."_

Whispers followed her statement, quick and quiet. The questions and guesses crisscrossing the crowd, like mice darting through a field of wheat, were easy to guess, but hard to answer. They had a sense of urgency to them but there was also a wisp of excitement about the demigods, as when an audience stands in a concert whispering, knowing that something is about to come onstage. They knew that if Lupa was gone, things were going to change.

"Soldiers!" bellowed the praetor again, as whispers were beginning to turn into fully-fledged conversations. She was rewarded with absolute attention once again, and she continued. "Before she left," she said, "Lupa gave me some final orders. First and foremost, she told me that war is coming once again, as terrible as the Titan War or even worse. We do not yet know our enemy; we do not yet know where or how it will be fought, but we do know that it is almost upon us. _Castra Roma _has never faced a challenge unprepared and it will not happen under my watch. So, starting tomorrow, I am taking our status from standby, to imminent warfare."

This time, nobody spoke a word, not the smallest whisper met the praetor's statement. Silence dominated the night, unbroken and unbreakable as they all felt it, the whole weight and meaning of her words settling firmly on their shoulders. Muscles tensed, eyes narrowed, brows furrowed and every breath was held for just an instant longer as seriousness and dread descended on the entire auditorium like a cloak falling softly on top of them. They were at war again.

Aware of the change in her audience and seeing the gravity in their expressions, Dakota continued. "Accordingly," she said, "you will be receiving new training and vigilance schedules early tomorrow morning. Furthermore, we will be choosing Tribunes to lead us in battle once again. I need not remind you of the great honor and responsibility that becoming a Tribune entails." She paused for a second, as if she were remembering something, and she gave a small sigh before going on. "As you all know, Tribunes are usually chosen from amongst the Centurions but, unfortunately, the terms for the current Centurions expire at the end of the week. We don't have time to elect Centurions, then elect Tribunes and then replace the ones promoted. Therefore, the process will be done simultaneously, one Centurion will be chosen per cabin, as well as six Tribunes. I will personally select the Tribunes from anyone in the Legion whom I think will lead our cohorts best. I expect you to be ready, and willing, to serve."

A tall guy from the leftmost part of the crowd raised his hand and waved it gently.

"Yes," said Dakota.

"How do we know that there will be war?" he asked simply. "How are we going to prepare if we don't know who or what we're fighting?"

"Lupa has informed me of it," said Dakota. "She wouldn't tell me more, but I trust her and I have my orders. She gazed at the crowd again. "As to how we will be training, it will be an intense all-round training from now on. You though hell week was tough last year? Well we're going into permanent hell, and I will have all of you on full alert, ready to move out within the hour. Is that clear?"

No one seemed to be willing to answer or contradict her again, and only silence greeted her question. "Fine, then," she said. "Now, don't think we are completely ignorant of the situation, there have been troubling signs for several weeks and we have come up with a plan of action on several fronts. Patrols are going to increase, we will be sending scouts out and I expect the forges to work around the clock. And also, we are going have a quest."

There was a murmur of unrest again, and Dakota had to wait a few seconds before she was able to speak again. "I know the Cumaean Sybil isn't here," she said, "so, unless she shows up very soon, this quest will have no warning of its outcome. There will be three campers on the team, who will be chosen during this week. There will be an archer, a scout and a melee fighter and I will be choosing them personally based on past and present performance. So, if you want to go, you're gonna have to show me you want it."

A hand immediately flew into the air, from a girl with piercing amber eyes and long brown hair.

"Yes, Hazel," said Dakota.

"Where will they be going?" she asked.

"The maze," answered Dakota. "The details will be given only to the chosen team, but they will be going down to find something down there that was lost, or hidden, by the gods millennia ago. I believe it will be crucial to winning the war."

Hazel's eyes lit up, like she'd just been given the best gift she could have asked for and smiled at Dakota, who simply nodded back at her. She then turned towards the crowd again and turned to look at Percy behind her, before speaking again.

"As you may or may not know," she said, "some new campers arrived today, Jamie Bell, Liam Cavendish and Percy Jackson. All of you, stand up and step forward."

Jamie and Liam stood up, slightly nervous, and made themselves visible. At the same time, Percy stepped forward and stood next to Dakota. "Liam and Jamie," said Dakota, pointing at them, "have gone through their initiation and have joined _Castra Roma _as Munifex soldiers. Liam has already been claimed as a son of Apollo and I'm sure Jamie will be claimed soon_. _I expect all of you to make them feel welcome."

She paused again as everyone noticed that Percy had been left out and turned to stare at him. "Percy," said the praetor, her eyes turning on him, "went through his trials in Mission Peak and, due to his performance, was admitted by Vesta on probation. He has therefore not joined the Legion and is here on trial. For now, he will join us in training and for meals and I expect you all to treat him fairly. However, on Lupa's orders he will not be given privileged information, nor can any of our secrets or techniques be revealed to him. Maybe someday, if he proves himself, he will be admitted into camp, but that is something for Vesta and Lupa to decide. Percy you can sit down, now."

Jamie felt furious as she watched Percy walk quietly towards her, his face downcast and worried. He sat down next to her and looked forward, absolutely serious. With that introduction, Dakota had just singled him out as the most undesirable person in the whole of camp and, if soldiers were as unforgiving as she thought they were, he was not going to get through the first day. Angrily, she stood up, raised her hand and spoke out before being recognized.

"You haven't said where he'll be staying," said Jamie, her voice ringing out throughout the amphitheatre, "nor what Lupa told you both this afternoon."

Dakota fixed her with a steely glare that spoke volumes and said "you can't speak up whenever you want to, Jamie. I understand you are new here, but we don't stand for disrespect in _Castra Roma. _Now, I have one more announcement…

"You haven't answered the question!" said Jamie loudly.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and heard Percy saying, "it's OK, Jamie, let it go."

"No, it's not OK," replied Jamie. She then addressed Dakota directly. "You can't just treat him like that and not explain! What did Lupa tell you? Why can't he be a camper?"

Dakota gave her one of coldest stares she had ever felt. "I did warn you," she told Jamie as she turned to look at some of the soldiers behind her. "Dan, Isabel, would you please escort Jamie to Mercury cabin? She'll be staying there tonight and we can discuss her insubordination tomorrow."

Two people stood up behind Jamie and grabbed both of her arms. "Come on," said the guy, presumably Dan. "Don't make this any worse than it has to be."

Both soldiers tried to push her forward but she started to struggle, getting madder and madder all the time. They were larger than she was, but they were having a hard time making her move and they had only gotten her halfway through the amphitheatre, passing by its centre, close to where the praetor was. Seeing her stubbornness and disregard for orders, Dakota lost her temper completely. She marched towards her, hair flying and eyes blazing, evidently ready to give her the rant of a lifetime. As she watched her approaching, Jamie's temper got the better of her. She felt the energy again, accumulating and swirling all around her. She summoned it, almost unknowingly, without really meaning to, just out of pure fury.

Dakota reached her, filling her lungs for an all-out military rant.

"JAMIE BELL!" she shouted, "THIS IS NOT…"

And that was all she was able to get out. In that instant, Jamie released the energy she had been harnessing and Dakota was blasted away, actually twirling a few times in the air before landing. It wasn't as powerful an explosion as the one she had summoned in the sea, but it was still strong enough to send the praetor some 15 feet in the air, making her fall flat on her back in the middle of the amphitheatre. At the same time, Dan and Isabel were also thrown away from her, landing a few feet on either side, dazed and confused.

The crowd roared as they saw their praetor flying and most teenagers stood up, ready to climb down from the stands to grab her again. Several soldiers jumped from the stands and landed on the ground, walking firmly in her direction. But then, just as Dakota was getting back on her feet, the incoming avalanche was stopped by a powerful bright light that flashed above Jamie's head. The light shone a powerful purple, searing everyone's eyes and forcing them into a full stop.

When Jamie was finally able to raise her head, she saw the symbol clearly and finally, after so log, received an answer that she thought she had known for some time now. Above her head, clearly visible for everyone, there was the shape of a crossroads, made up of three different ways. In front of it there was the shape of three women standing back to back and holding torches, with three dogs sitting at her feet.

Dakota raised her hand and the soldiers stopped their push towards them. There was a full minute of silence, during which everyone stared at the symbol, which shined with ever-growing strength, blinding them, until it gave out as suddenly as if someone had blown a candle. Whispers sprung among the campers once again and some actually pointed at her and, for some reason, to the Mission Peak and then to the west. Just when Jamie was about to ask what they were pointing at, Dakota stepped forward and spoke loudly.

"You have been claimed as a child of the gods," she said with a trace of anger still lurking in the depths of her voice. "Hail, Jamie Bell. Daughter of Trivia, goddess of magic, witchcraft and sorcery. Lady of the Crossroads."

There was silence again. Dakota approached her and spoke quietly into her ear. "Our traditions and rules state that you have to be taken to your cabin now and introduced to camp by one of your brothers or sisters. So, you are going to go, quietly. We'll talk more tomorrow." She turned to one of her fallen guards, helped her up and said "Go on, Isabel. Take your sister to your cabin and show her around. I will be there early tomorrow."

Then, she walked to the centre of the amphitheatre.

"The rest of you," she said loudly. "You are dismissed! Lights out is in one hour!"

Before everyone left, Dakota walked over to Percy and said, "Percy, come with me. I need to ask you something."

**Hope you liked it. I noticed there are several new readers: caligurl, Jamie miche, luveitall. Thanks for reading.**

**Please review ! **


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